Red Hands
by dreaZALA
Summary: A powerless Loki delivers a message to the Avengers of a fast approaching threat. He holds the key to their victory, but his help comes at a price. When given the opportunity by a repenting little spider, will Loki choose the path towards redemption? Or will he continue on own his selfish quest for power?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own anything pertaining to The Avengers or any of its associations.

* * *

The months after the mayhem the God of Mischief had caused in New York City were not ones remembered fondly. With Thor returned to Asgard with the prisoner Loki, Tony Stark and Steve Rogers were left to make reparations. Bruce Banner left the country again to escape persecution for his past actions as Hulk, and Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton had to disappear for a while to secure their covers in order to resume their duties as agents of S.H.I.E.L.D..

Back in Asgard, the trial for Loki went predictably. It was very clear to all that overlooked Odin's judgement that Loki did not regret his actions. Odin spoke of his disappointment in his son, his regret for how far Loki had fallen, and in return, the mischief maker had spat on the ground at Odin's feet.

Thor did not return to Midgard after, and instead chose to stay in Asgard to see his brother through his punishment, the guilt weighing heavy on his shoulders. Despite this, he held his tongue when Odin stripped Loki of his powers and his title, humiliating him in front of all of Asgard and muzzling him like an animal to keep his silver tongue in check.

It took two years for everything to return to normal. When the reparations to the city were finished, Tony worked on reconstructing his tower. On the day marking the second anniversary of its destruction he was to host a press conference to celebrate its finish, and all the Avengers were to attend, including their beloved Asgardian.

Steve was planning to return to normal society on the same day. He'd spent the time catching up on all that he had missed while he'd been frozen. Even with all the changes that had taken place, he vowed to never abandon the morals and traditions that he had been raised with, feeling that if he ever did, he'd be abandoning himself as well.

Clint and Natasha had returned to active duty after the first year, when S.H.I.E.L.D. managed to destroy all evidence of their involvement in the battle with Loki and the Chitauri. They were currently in a motel room in India after completing a mission in a neighboring country, planning to meet up with Bruce to catch a flight together to New York City in time for the opening of Tony's tower.

Bruce had initially turned down the invitation, wanting not to abandon his reestablished practice, but Tony had been surprisingly secretive about the tower, and Bruce was much the pursuer of his own curiosity.

''I'm excited to see Thor again,'' Clint was saying, taking a sip from a beer as they finished packing up the few belongings they'd taken on their mission. ''It's been two years. I've been dying to find out what punishment that bastard Loki was given for what he did.''

Natasha said nothing, her feelings on the subject less secure than his.

She could not care less about what had happened to Loki. It had taken her so long to get his words out of her head that she could do without ever even hearing his name spoken again. The nightmares had persisted longer, and they were always the same. Of Loki slamming his hand against the glass cage in the helicarrier in anger, frightening her as none had in such a long time. Of his breath fogging the glass from his proximity, his face twisted and vicious and flooding with the intensity of his words.

She shook her head slightly to clear it, and she saw the action catch Clint's attention though he did not ask her to explain. There was a knock on the door just as they finished packing, and they went to greet Bruce before leaving for the airport.

* * *

The drive to the airport was in silence, and no one spoke even after they had boarded the private jet Tony had arranged for them. It was only after Clint had gotten a few more drinks in him that he spoke, and it was only to whisper sweet things to the stewardesses as they tended to them.

Whatever romantic tensions there had been between Natasha and Clint had turned platonic after everything that had happened in New York City. Neither wanted to be compromised for their feelings again in the future.

When they landed, Pepper was there to greet them. She rode with them in the car to the tower, and though their eyes tried to search out the answer behind Tony's secretive behavior when the tower was in sight, they saw nothing to alleviate their curiosity.

Tony greeted them at the doors, ushering them along. On the inside, it seemed to be the same as the tower that it had replaced, though they were restricted to the lower levels. Tony let Bruce free in one of the labs to entertain himself until the party, and he allowed Natasha and Clint to let off some residual steam from their mission in the training room in the basement with Steve.

When it came time for the party, the four dressed and joined Tony outside of the banquet hall that he had dedicated the entire fourth floor to. They peeked inside as they waited to be announced, and were surprised at how the room had filled to the brim with the press and political figures that had come to see the unveiling of the tower. They knew outside the streets would be filled with the public waiting for the same thing.

Or something else, perhaps, Natasha thought as she heard the resounding crackle of thunder in the sky even over all of the noise from the banquet hall.

They were joined a few minutes later by Thor, looking as handsome as ever despite the distance he'd traveled across the realms to be there. The only difference between his appearance now and when they had seen him last were the circles beneath his eyes, only lightly purple but still pronounced against his otherwise flawless skin.

They were ushered inside less than a moment later, and Natasha and Clint hung back as the cameras flashed on them all. The press didn't go out of their way to capture the two on film, focusing more on Steve and Tony and Thor, the faces that the public craved the most.

When the initial excitement died down, Tony moved to stand on the stage at the front of the room, and they lined up at his back as he took his place in front of the podium there to address the crowd. He held his hands up, enjoying the spotlight, and Natasha had to suppress a roll of her eyes in response.

The room silenced when he tapped the microphone, and he cleared his voice before speaking.

''First of all, I would like to thank you all for coming. This is an important day- a symbolic one, in fact- of the changes that have come to pass despite all that we have faced in the past.''

Behind him, they were all surprised by the lack of narcissism in his opening lines, but they knew him too well to expect that to last very long.

''I am many things- but we're not here to talk about my genius and my billions and my good looks, are we?'' he grinned, and the crowd laughed. Clint snorted beside Natasha, and she suppressed a laugh of her own in response.

Tony sobered slightly before continuing. ''Not only am I the leader in clean energy, but I am also a member of the Avengers, the assembled group of talents that saved all of your asses two years ago today.''

The crowd was not fond of this statement, not sharing Tony's sense of humor, but he cared little as it suited for his own amusement.

''I constructed this tower in honor of both of these accomplishments, and ultimately, as a tool to be utilized for the greater good.''

Natasha's brow furrowed in confusion, and she looked to the others to see that they had also the same reaction to his words.

Without waiting for them to comprehend, Tony pressed a button on the podium before him and a screen lowered at the side of the room. Everyone turned their attention to it as a projector played the live stream of the outside of the tower on the canvas. A portion of the tower was covered from view by a large curtain, and the Avengers knew that their curiosity would be lifted along with it.

''I present to you, my friends, citizens of New York City... the Avengers tower.''

The curtain pulled away, revealing the lettering underneath. Natasha could not help but gasp along with the crowd as the letters glowed bright white against the blackness of the night, though it was more from the beauty in the symbolism than the actual vision before her.

* * *

Champagne was passed around, and with the ceremony over they went to mingle among the guests. That was easy for Natasha. She was used to molding and blending herself to fit in among any crowd.

The transition did not come as easily for Thor. He was much larger than the people who surrounded him, and his Asgardian clothes did not compliment the black and white attire of the guests. Clint rescued him soon enough, intent on getting the answers he'd so long anticipated, and Natasha could not help but position herself close enough to listen in on their conversation despite her convictions on the subject.

She learned quickly of Loki's imprisonment, of his humiliation and his helplessness without his powers or his tongue. She didn't care for the parts of the story laced with sentiment, and when she'd heard enough she moved away to enjoy the party.

But the fun did not last long.

The tower shuddered suddenly, and rumbled as if from an impact.

Beside Natasha, Tony lowered his drink from his lips and expressed aloud the very same thought that had crossed her own mind in response to the sound.

''Well... Fuck.''

* * *

Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. I know it wasn't very exciting, but it's just the introduction, so please give this story a chance. And please review!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own anything pertaining to The Avengers or any of its associations.

* * *

The Avengers found each other quickly and rushed from the banquet hall. Tony had security keep the press from following as they dashed down the hall towards the elevator that would take them to the roof. Clint pressed the button for the first elevator, but Tony kept up his pace down the hall, and the others followed obligingly.

There was a large elevator at the end of the hall separate from the others, and it opened just as they approached. They rushed inside, and Tony pressed a series of unmarked buttons on the wall of the elevator after the doors had closed. When it started to make its ascent toward the top of the tower, the walls at every side of them began to vibrate and then open, revealing their contents.

''I prepare for everything,'' Tony stated before they could even ask.

There were six openings in the elevator, containing a spare uniform for each of the Avengers. The slot for Bruce contained only an extra pair of shorts, and the look he gave Tony held as much contempt as the weary man could muster.

''_Everything_,'' Tony said again, with more emphasis.

Natasha, Clint, and Steve stripped down out of their formal attire, suiting up as quickly as possible in the limited space. Natasha tried her best to ignore the lingering looks on her form as she shed her dress, and kept her mind instead on the possible threat ahead.

* * *

But they weren't ready for what they saw when the doors of the elevator finally opened at the top of the tower.

The doors slid open and they all stepped out, lined up beside one another, prepared to face whatever foe had interrupted the party. They saw a smoking mass on the ground on the other side of the roof, and they tensed as it began to move and stretch and force itself to one knee.

They saw a familiar glean of metal as the smoke cleared, and they recognized the scepter even before Loki raised his head to face them.

Natasha's breath stopped in her chest, and she could feel her heartbeat so thick and fast in her throat that she nearly choked.

They were all frozen as Loki forced himself to his feet, albeit with difficulty. He looked the same as he had the last he was before them, in his green and black and silver Asgardian attire and with his long black hair slicked back from his striking face.

His face held a sheen of sweat, and his body was weak and unsteady on his feet. Even so, when he rose to his full height, he was as frightening and as intimidating as ever, and Natasha closed her eyes as she fought to suppress the shiver of fear that ran through her.

When she opened them again, his eyes were on her.

She clenched her jaw and narrowed her eyes at him, stubbornly refusing to show him the weakness he sought on her face. His lip twitched slightly in response, amusement evident in his eyes, but he was forced to look away as his legs nearly gave out beneath him.

Clint took advantage of this weakness and loaded his bow, pulling the string back and releasing it before anyone had even registered the movement. The sound of its release drew everyone's immediate attention, and Thor managed to cry out just before it would have struck the trickster.

But even powerless and weak Loki's reflexes were superior, and he struck the arrow out of the air with the blade of his scepter. It was then that Natasha noticed something was off about the weapon, and she realized a moment later that the blue from the Tesseract was no longer present.

Thor moved to stand between his brother and the other Avengers, staying their hands from continuing any further assault on Loki.

''I need not your protection,'' Loki growled from behind him.

''Trust me, you need it,'' Clint growled, but the anger in his eyes was directed not at the mischief maker, but at Thor.

''Your weapons will end him,'' Thor pleaded.

''That was the intention,'' Natasha replied dryly.

''They wish to cut off the feet in front of which they will soon bow,'' Loki sneered.

''Again with this?'' Steve said skeptically.

''You're not really in the position to threaten us, Reindeer Games,'' Tony commented.

''Oh, but I am,'' Loki said, rising to his full stature once again. The smile on his face was wicked, and the gleam in his eye was worse. It frightened them to the core.

Natasha's feet took her across the roof before the thought had even crossed her mind to move. She evaded Thor easily enough, and ignored the cries of the others as she approached Loki.

She drew her gun and extended her arm, the barrel less than an inch from his face. She was proud at how steady her arm was trained toward him, despite the fear of her proximity that rushed through her. She looked up and met his eyes without faltering, and watched as some of the amusement drained from his face.

''Why are you here?'' she asked firmly.

His lip twitched in response, and it was very clear that he did not take her seriously.

She slammed the butt of her gun across his face, reveling in how much his body gave under the blow in his weakened state. But he recovered quickly, and she knew the fire that burned in his eyes as he returned his gaze to hers would haunt her dreams for many nights to come.

''Tell me,'' she demanded, her voice raising.

''I would not advise you to touch me again, you mewling quim,'' he sneered at her, ignoring her gun and drawing dangerously close to her.

His breath was cool on her face, and it sent a violent tremor through her entire body. His eyes flickered over her face, watching as she struggled not to move away or succumb to her fear. There was just the slightest flicker of surprise on his face when she refused to back down.

His hand must have tensed on his scepter, for Steve and Clint were there the next moment pulling him back from her and forcing him to his knees on the ground.

''Remove your hands, you lowly creatures,'' he growled at them, and though his powers had been taken away, he was still superior in strength and forced them back.

He straightened out his overcoat as he stood once again, enjoying their tension with every last little movement he made.

''What are we waiting for?'' Clint demanded, looking to the others. ''What's stopping us from killing him?''

They did not answer, just kept their eyes trained on Loki.

Loki's smile was sharp and instant. ''What the others have come to grasp, Agent Barton, is that I am here with a purpose. There would be no sense in killing me before I reveal it.''

''How were you able to escape from Asgard?'' Steve questioned.

Loki ignored his question, his eyes flickering to each of them in turn. ''I request immunity from persecution while I am here on Midgard.''

''Bull shit-'' Tony started.

''I guarantee you will come to regret your refusal,'' Loki interrupted. ''I only wish to meet with your leader, the Director Fury, in order to reveal my purpose. My lips will fly more freely if they are not restricted.''

''We have our ways of getting information out of you without your full cooperation,'' Clint stated.

''Torture?'' Loki mused. ''You could not find punishment worse than I have already faced on Asgard.''

''Not torture,'' Tony said with a smirk. His eyes flickered to Natasha, and Loki's eyes registered the movement only just before his world went black.

* * *

Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. The next one should be fun...! Please review!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own anything pertaining to The Avengers or any of its associations.

* * *

When Loki woke, his head ached from where Steve's shield had connected with his temple. He could feel the dried blood pulling on his skin, and his vision was still blurred and disoriented from the blow. When he tried to move, he found his hands were bound behind his back, and his arms and chest were restricted by ropes that wrapped around the back of the chair he was seated on.

There was a light above his head, but the room was otherwise dark. The only other source of light came from the camera in the corner as it watched over him. A few moments later he heard the door open to his left, though he could not see it through the darkness.

He closed his eyes as he listened to the heels of the figure approaching clack against the concrete floor of the room, drawing slowly near. He opened his eyes when they stopped in front of him, and his face lacked surprise when he found it to be Natasha.

She had lost the leather jumpsuit, and instead wore the black dress she had adorned for the party. Predictably, she saw Loki's eyes flicker down her body, lingering on the sharp curve of her hips and the swell of her breasts beneath the thin fabric.

''You are here to seduce me?'' he asked, though she did not feel it necessary to answer. He met her eyes again, his face void of any emotion. ''I may have had my powers stripped from me temporarily, but I am not weak like the mortals you are accustomed to.''

''You are still a man,'' she stated simply. He watched as her hands moved slowly up to her shoulders, before pulling the straps aside and letting the dress slip down her body and to the ground. Beneath she wore a set of black lace, which contrasted beautifully against her olive skin.

Loki swallowed hard but knew too well her reputation. ''I did not lack my share of women in Asgard to fall to your wiles so easily. I am not starved for the flesh enough to give you the answers you seek.''

''Two years in a prison cell... You are sure to be hungry,'' she drawled. Loki closed his eyes, blocking out the sight of the beautiful woman in front of him. The blow to his head had disoriented him, it was making him weak to her charms. He drowned her out, trying to focus.

He did not hear her move away for a few short moments before returning. When he felt the cold edge of cloth touch his face he reeled back in surprise, his eyes flying open.

She was leaning in front of him, dabbing a wet towel at the blood that had dried on his face. She hooked her finger under his chin to draw his face near, but he ripped it away from her. She ignored him, finishing the job she had started and ignoring the insults he spat at her as she did. When she was done, she tossed the cloth aside and to the floor.

As slick as liquid she moved on top of him, straddling his waist and sliding her hands over his chest. He closed his eyes again, trying to suppress his body's immediate reaction to her proximity. He opened his mouth to object but when her own covered his all words died in his throat.

The noise he made in response to her was guttural, almost a growl as he fought to free himself of her. He bit at her mouth, bruising the tender skin of her lips, but she did not budge. Instead, she bit back at his mouth, drawing a hiss from his lips.

Her persistence prevailed, and he gave in to her, pulling against his restraints in order to force her submission to his mouth instead.

But she pulled away just out of reach, and he moved back quickly enough in response to her sudden retreat to catch the glimpse of satisfaction that passed over her face. Realization hit him hard as he discovered the true intention of her actions.

She was playing on his need for control. She never truly intended to lay with him, though he would not call her bluff. Her intentions were purely to make him angry, knowing he would not submit to her wiles and spill the information to stop her. For her to take him would be an unbearable humiliation, and even if he did crave her flesh now as most men did he would never let a lowly human woman dominate him. The blow to his pride would be insufferable.

She saw the glimmer of understanding on his face, but she did not move away. ''You lose either way,'' she breathed into his ear. ''You keep your lips sealed and I will take your precious pride, or you tell me what you know and I will leave you be.''

''I will spill your blood for this,'' he growled into her ear.

''That will be hard from your containment cell,'' she challenged.

He was silent for a long time, waiting for his head to finally clear. His sigh was defeated and angry against her shoulder.

''I will tell you what I know.''

Natasha was gone less than a moment after the words slipped from his lips, and she pulled her dress back into place before fading into the darkness in the direction of the door. ''Thank you for your cooperation,'' she said, and he heard just the slight scrape of metal as she started to open the door.

''I will not be contained for long,'' he assured her. ''And you will be fortunate if I am not given the opportunity to make you regret your actions.''

Silence answered him. The only noise that broke the quiet was the click of the door as it shut behind Natasha.

* * *

They moved Loki to a containment cell in the S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters a few minutes later. Natasha joined them as they relocated him, back in her uniform, and her eyes did not even flicker in his direction. She was ever the professional, not even acknowledging outwardly her lewd actions only moments earlier.

The others gradually joined them as they maneuvered the halls, and they were the only that remained after Loki was safely tucked in his cell. Director Fury joined them shortly, and Loki took a seat on the solitary bench that had been placed inside the cell to await the interrogation.

''Start talking,'' Nick Fury commanded, and Loki's face twisted slightly in displeasure. ''How did you get out of Asgard?''

''My father,'' he answered simply.

Thor's brow furrowed and he approached the bars of the cell. ''Father sent you back?''

Loki did not answer him, staring instead at Fury.

''Why did your father send you back?'' Fury repeated.

Loki leaned back against the wall behind him. ''Choose your questions wisely. You do not want to waste the efforts of your Agent Romanoff. It is not often I taste the bitterness of my own gift of trickery,'' he reminded Fury, and his eyes flickered over to Natasha, his expression taunting.

When he spoke again, he was still addressing Fury, though his eyes stayed trained on the beautiful assassin. ''I will stop answering if you require me to explain petty details and take her up on her offer instead to alleviate my boredom.''

''The offer has expired,'' Natasha said flatly.

A smile ghosted across his features. ''That is a pity. The second I refuse to answer your questions is the moment you accept the fate of your race.''

''Care to explain?'' Fury asked, drawing Loki's attention back to himself. ''If you are the worst to come, then we have nothing to fear. So what else is coming for us?''

Loki drew himself to his feet, approaching the metal bars that separated him from the Avengers. ''I have not yet shown you what it is to fear me, Director.''

''Answer the question, Loki,'' Fury demanded, unaffected by the threat.

Loki moved back from the bars, and Natasha could not help notice the way he paced inside as if a trapped animal. She could almost see the lean muscles ripple beneath his armor, wrought with potential and waiting for the opportune moment to strike.

''His name is Thanos,'' Loki said finally. ''He is the leader of the Chitauri.''

''We defeated the Chitauri,'' Steve stated.

''You are naive,'' Loki said, a smile playing on his lips. ''You defeated only a fraction of their army. Did you think they would send their whole race to destroy your precious, puny Earth? Though even if they had, I assure you, their leader is a much more formidable opponent even on his own.''

When no one spoke, he continued. ''When I struck my bargain for the army in exchange for the Tesseract, it was not with him directly. I interacted only with the Other. But I made presence with Thanos himself for the first time tonight.''

''Tonight?'' Thor said slowly. ''In Asgard?''

''We have collected many relics over the years, of which we have placed in a vault in the depths of Asgard for safekeeping. Thanos came to retrieve the Infinity Gems, and paid me a quaint little visit afterward to express his displeasure of my failure two years ago,'' Loki explained.

''Infinity Gems?'' Tony questioned, his expression incredulous.

''Gems with extraordinary powers,'' Loki answered. ''But only when utilized together. Thanos is a mystic like myself, but with an advanced knowledge of science and technology that far exceeds your own. He wishes to build the Infinity Gauntlet, a device which will end your world and all other worlds alike.''

''And Thanos enlightened you of his plan because... What? You're his buddy?'' Clint asked skeptically.

''Well, no,'' Loki said, with a smile that seemed more like a grimace. ''He did not intend for me to escape the conversation alive. However, the Allfather showed up just in time to spare my life, and sent me here to you.''

''What do you get out of this? Out of helping us?'' Bruce questioned meekly.

''For the answer to that question, you will have to wait and see,'' Loki said cryptically, and the smile that danced on his lips was not a pleasant one.

''We got what we needed from you, there's no need for us to wait around for whatever mischief you're planning,'' Fury said. ''Natasha, do the honors?''

Natasha drew the gun from her waist and pointed it at Loki, her finger tensed on the trigger. Thor cried out beside her, but that was not what stayed her hand.

She met Loki's eyes, and the expression on his face was one of amusement and not fear. His confidence in her surprised her, it was a huge risk to take to trust that she would not pull the trigger.

She lowered her weapon. ''He's not telling us everything.''

No one said anything, unsure of how to proceed, but the knowing smile on Loki's face told her that he had already given her enough information to uncover his tricks. Her eyes searched his face as she played his words back in her head, trying to figure out what they had missed. A slip of his tongue, a twist of his words, and then suddenly it clicked in her mind and she narrowed her eyes at Loki.

''You have one of the gems.''

* * *

Author's Note: That was fun to write. I hope it's not confusing at all. I will explain the last part in the next chapter, but otherwise I hope the rest makes sense and flows correctly. Please continue reading, and review!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own anything pertaining to The Avengers or any of its associations.

* * *

Loki's eyebrows raised in surprise, and his jaw tensed slightly in displeasure. But he was quick with a smile, amusement playing on his lips at her discovery, hoping to find a fault in her logic. ''And how did you come to such a conclusion?''

''Where is it?'' she asked, ignoring his question.

''You shall answer my question first,'' he said, his face gone serious.

''Give me your word you will answer my question immediately after,'' she demanded. His lip curled slightly at this, how easily she was catching on to his tricks. The others were more easily fooled. She had already bested him twice, and he would not let her do so again.

''I will answer it to the best of my ability,'' he assured her, pressing his hand to his chest and bowing slightly at the waist.

She knew it was the best she was going to get. ''You said that the gems work only when utilized together. You don't waste words, if Thanos had all of the gems you would not have included that in your explanation.''

Again Loki's surprise was prevalent on his face.

''Where is it?'' she repeated.

''I discarded it as I was transported from Asgard,'' he admitted. ''It is in a place with a name known to few, safe from Thanos and any wandering eye who might seek it out.''

''An indirect answer, imagine our surprise,'' Clint said sarcastically.

''We'd have no reason to keep him alive if he told us,'' Steve rationalized with a shrug of his shoulder.

''You have more reason than that to keep me alive. Thanos is not much different than myself, with powers that rival my own. You could use my help to stop him.''

''And what do you want in return?'' Fury demanded.

A smile twitched at Loki's lips. ''To start, I will claim the immunity from persecution that I was so callously refused.''

''There are too many variables, too much he's not telling us,'' Steve commented.

''Your options are few,'' Loki reminded him. ''You cannot kill me until you know the location of the gem, and you cannot leave me here in this meek little cell for Thanos to claim whenever he feels. He will no doubt have been cast from Asgard along with me, it is only a matter of time before he finds me once again.''

Fury exchanged a look with Steve. He looked unhappy, but still he nodded his consent.

''You will be with the Avengers at all times. If you break away from them, they have permission to kill you before you are compromised. We will take our risk with Thanos if that happens. Understand?'' Fury growled, also displeased with the position he'd been placed in.

''It does not suit me to run away,'' Loki said with a smirk. The look alone sent shivers down each of their spines, the smirk a promise of horrible things to come.

* * *

By the time they returned to the newly established Avengers tower, the sun was beginning to rise and the streets and tower were empty of the crowds from the night before. Tony deflated slightly, disappointed that his party had been interrupted by Loki's arrival. But once the elevator they all gathered in began to ascend to the upper levels of the tower, he seemed to regain his excitement.

''I had rooms especially designed for each of you,'' Tony was saying as the elevator chimed and the doors opened on the main floor. It opened directly into a beautiful, open plan living room with attached kitchen and bar. There were hallways to either side, presumably leading to each of their rooms.

He glanced back at Loki, who stood at his brother's side uncomfortably. ''Well not for you, of course.''

''What are we going to do with him?'' Clint asked, plopping down on the couch and kicking off his shoes. Tony silently mimed his displeasure at the archer's actions, words failing him.

''He can stay with me,'' Thor rumbled. ''We used to share a bed when we were younger. Loki had often nightmares of...''

He trailed off, realizing his mistake. The amusement that had ridden the words died, and his face grew somber.

''Frost giants,'' Loki added calmly, though there was a bite behind the words.

Natasha's eyes flickered to Loki's face, but he kept it neutral under her inspection, his eyes moving to meet hers. ''That's ironic,'' Clint laughed from across the room. ''You hear the stories of these horrible creatures when you are younger and grow up to find out you are one of them.''

Something passed over Loki's face, and he turned quickly away from Natasha to conceal it.

''I was not naive to fail to make that connection,'' Loki responded. The calmness in his voice wavered as he spoke, betraying the fire beneath.

''Did I hit a nerve?'' Clint taunted, rising from the couch, threat in his every movement. ''Are you going to cry like the sniveling little brat that you are because you didn't get enough of your daddy's attention?''

''You know not of which you speak,'' Loki said dismissively, and this time the calmness in his voice was true. Natasha looked to him in surprise, having expected him to be baited by Clint's words as he'd intended. Loki felt her eyes on him again and looked to her.

''Oh, I do. Thor told us all about your sad little history. I'm sure Odin wishes now that he had left you in Jotunheim to die,'' Clint persisted, stepping threateningly close to the trickster, drawing his immediate attention.

Without waiting for Loki's reaction, Thor stepped in between the two. ''My friend, you speak out of turn!'' he rumbled. Clint backed up a step, and Thor calmed slightly, though the tension was still evident in his body. He looked to Tony. ''I think it best that we retire now.''

''Second door on the right,'' Tony said, pointing down the hallway to the right of the living room, eyes wide from the quick progression of events.

The two Asgardians left the room, and an awkward silence fell over those left. Tony broke it by passing around drinks, and after they were finished they retreated into their own rooms as well.

* * *

Natasha's room was adorned in blacks and golds and reds, with a large bed at the center, a bathroom to the left, and a small personal training space to the right. She smiled when she saw it, and Tony looked smug given her reaction.

He held up a finger, and she watched him quickly cross the room to her bed. He crawled on top of the mattress like an excited child, reaching for the doors that lay flush against the wall above the headboard. When he opened them, her breath caught in her throat.

She crossed the room in a flash, joining Tony on the bed and letting her fingers ghost over the contents. There were intricate knives on hooks within, and an array of different guns and their holsters hanging beside them.

Tony left Natasha alone to inspect them. When she finished, she slunk out of her uniform and went to appreciate the rest of the room and the details Tony had put into it.

The bathroom was simple and clean, with white walls and dark woods. It was fully stocked with any necessities she would need. She found the closet to the side of it held a complete wardrobe for her, of both S.H.I.E.L.D. uniforms and civilian clothes. The space delegated for her personal training had a black padded floor, with a complete set of weights and targets for her throwing knives.

When she lay down to sleep, she reached above her to trace the spider etched in black in the dark wood of the headboard, her fingers hesitating on the red widow mark on its back. The angle from which she viewed it made it look as if it would come down and consume her at any moment, and the bitterness that came with the thought made her hand fall away.

Sleep took her the moment her eyes fell closed, and the nightmares came soon after.

* * *

Author's Note: It's hard not falling into the same pattern for Natasha and Loki as I used in my first story. Hopefully I am keeping them different enough, and that it keeps your interest enough to continue reading. Please review!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own anything pertaining to The Avengers or any of its associations.

* * *

The next morning, Natasha showered and suited up and went into the living room to join the others who were already up and around.

Bruce sat at the bar nursing a cup of coffee and the newspaper, and Steve sat next to him looking like a poster boy for milk with a telltale mustache on his upper lip. Clint was in the process of shoving a forkful of pancakes into his mouth when she sauntered into the room.

In direct response to her arrival, Tony slid a glass of fresh orange juice across the kitchen counter to her, and she caught it easily. She raised it to him in thanks and took a sip, before a thought occurred to her. ''Where are Thor and Loki?''

''Apparently Asgardians find the later hours of the day more productive,'' Tony answered. ''I went to make sure our special guest was still playing nice and obedient, and they were both out cold.''

''We should start figuring out our plan of action,'' Steve said. ''Who wants to go wake them?''

''What's the expression?'' Clint pondered aloud. ''Let sleeping dogs lie...?''

When no one volunteered to fetch the gods, Natasha rolled her eyes and disappeared from the room.

She recalled Tony's directions to Thor the night before and knocked on the appropriate door. When there was no answer besides a thunderous snore, she twisted the knob and let herself inside.

Thor's room was adorned in golds and red and silvers. Draped from the ceiling along the walls were shimmering metallic fabrics, and there were pillows piled throughout the room of various shades and colors. It was otherworldly and elegant and beautiful, and for a moment Natasha felt like she was no longer in New York City or even on the Earth, but some place else entirely.

Another resounding snore brought her attention back to her initial purpose in the room, and she crossed the space to the bed where the two gods were sprawled and unconscious.

Thor took up most of the bed, not only from his superior size but also because of the way his limbs were splayed and extended. He was naked to the waist, the coverings of the bed knotted at his feet, and his mouth was agape and wet at one corner from excess saliva.

Loki lay on his back at the edge of the bed, with one hand clutching the sheets to the curve of his pelvic bone and the other hand resting limply on his bare stomach. His face was slack from sleep, peaceful as she had never seen it before. If she hadn't known better she'd have said he looked harmless.

Her eyes danced over the sharp angles of Loki's face, and traveled the bends of his broad shoulders and the planes of his chest, mesmerized by the way the lean muscle beneath his skin rippled with even the slightest movement he made in his sleep.

Her attention followed his hand when it fell from his stomach, and when her gaze returned to the freshly bared flesh of his belly, she traveled the thin trail of hair there with her eyes until it disappeared into the waistline of his pants. There was a tightness to the front of his pants that would have made a normal woman blush.

''Like what you see, Agent Romanoff?''

Unlike his brother, it appeared Loki was a light sleeper.

She came to attention quickly, looking up to meet his eyes. She was careful to keep her composure. ''An eye for an eye,'' she said with a shrug, and he smirked at her honesty. He had given her body the same inspection in the interrogation room after she had stripped in front of him, so he let her own pass.

He slid from the bed in one graceful movement, and even in the innocent setting it felt like a threat. Natasha tensed, and his smirk widened.

He took a step toward her and she took a responding step away. His smile was wicked as he advanced, and he ignored the cool press of the blade against his gut when he had her backed against the wall. He was careful not to lay a hand on her, and her breath was calm against his face despite the fear that coursed through her.

''Those whom sneak up on gods while they lie rarely have good intentions,'' he snarled. He ignored the flash of memory that came with the words, of Laufey coming to kill Odin in Asgard.

''If I meant to kill you, you would not have heard me coming,'' she stated calmly, arrogantly.

Before he could respond, a hand wrapped itself around his arm and pulled him away from the assassin.

''We will join you shortly,'' Loki said to Natasha dismissively as he dislodged his arm from Thor's steel grip. She narrowed her eyes in response to his curtness, but turned on her heel and left the room.

* * *

Loki shifted uncomfortably when the door closed behind Natasha, and without a word to Thor disappeared into the adjacent bathroom.

Under her intense gaze his body had responded accordingly, and now that she was gone he began to relax once again. It had been a mixture of fear that the assassin had approached him while he was at his most vulnerable and pleasure at her blatant inspection of his body that elicited the reaction. He rationalized that it was natural and that he would have had the same reaction to any woman, and shook his head to clear it of any thoughts otherwise.

Loki walked to the shower and struggled for a moment to figure out the knobs on the tiled wall, before stepping beneath the hot stream of water it produced and closing his eyes.

When he opened them again, he stared at the water as it fell off of his body to the bottom of the shower. It was clouded slightly from the dirt and grime that had been in his hair and on his body, and he realized it was the first time he had been allowed to bathe since his imprisonment. He leaned his forehead against the cold tiles of the wall and cherished the feel of the hot water hitting his back.

When he was finished, he brushed his hair back with his fingers and wrapped one of the plush towels that hung on the wall around his waist. When he exited the bathroom, Thor was already dressed and waiting for him. He dressed quickly and they went to join the others.

* * *

Natasha could tell that Loki enjoyed the way everyone reacted to his presence in the room. Uncomfortable, weary, frightened. It was like walking on glass shards. He did not bask in it or taunt them with it like she had expected, but the knowing smile on his lips told her that he was more than aware of it.

Thor moved from Loki's side when Tony held out a plate piled high with food to him. He returned to Loki with a mouth full of toast and egg and bacon, and motioned the plate toward his brother. Loki watched as crumbs dropped from Thor's mouth to the plate, and lifted a hand to refuse with a look of distaste.

Natasha snorted at this, and everyone looked to her in surprise. Thor was confused and Loki displeased, but she was not embarrassed to have made such an unladylike noise. She just popped a slice from the orange in her hand in her mouth and remained silent.

They all gathered together on the couches in the living room to decide on a course of action. All but Loki, who stood off to the side by the window. Tony had to admit that he was tempted to push him out of it.

''We should locate the Infinity Gem that Loki dropped,'' Clint suggested.

''And have it waiting for Thanos when he comes to find Loki?'' Tony countered incredulously.

''So what if he does come for Loki? Are we actually going to protect him?'' Clint demanded angrily.

''Perhaps you failed to notice that I am present in the room,'' Loki said thickly, his eyes narrowing.

''I'm more than aware,'' Clint growled lowly.

''If we don't stop Thanos from getting his hands on Loki, we will have just given him our only advantage,'' Natasha stated, ignoring the two.

''He will not get the location from my lips,'' Loki supplied calmly, though his tongue twisted angrily in his mouth at her implications. ''There would be no world left for me to rule if I help him.''

''Even if he were just to kill you without getting the location from you, it will only be a matter of time before he finds it himself,'' Bruce surmised. He frowned then, as a thought occurred to him. ''What is his motivation?''

Loki's lip twitched in response. He looked to Bruce. ''What is the greatest motivation for a man, that is also the greatest weakness?''

''Can you ever just be straightforward?'' Clint spat.

He did not respond to Clint, and instead waited silently for an answer to his riddle.

''A woman.''

* * *

Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own anything pertaining to The Avengers or any of its associations.

* * *

Loki's eyes flitted to Natasha, who had supplied the answer.

''Ain't that the truth,'' Tony said, lifting his mug of coffee to no one in particular before taking a long drink.

''A woman?'' Steve questioned, ignoring him.

''He has a fondness for Mistress Death,'' Loki explained, returning his attention to the room and splaying out his hands before him. ''He has spent many lifetimes to gain her favor, and was showing great promise as the leader of the Chitauri. The Tesseract would have secured a place for him at her side.''

''But you failed,'' Bruce reminded him.

Loki's eyes narrowed at him, but he did not stray. ''When his army was defeated so easily by you, he became a man of jest in her eyes. To regain her favor, he intends to bring your world to its knees, or to end it in the process.''

''So he just wants to get some action,'' Clint surmised. ''We have a solution for that. You're up again, Nat.''

She did not waste a glare on him, as the other Avengers had it covered.

''Leave the jokes to me, Cupid,'' Tony said disapprovingly, and threw an apple at his head for good measure. Clint was too fast and caught it easily from the air. He raised it to Tony in mock appreciation and took a bite.

''What should we do then?'' Bruce inquired. ''Thanos will come for Loki soon.''

''We find him first,'' Steve answered, standing as if empowered by the decision.

Loki almost rolled his eyes at the spectacle, but when the others stood in response to the Captain, his disdain turned to surprise. He watched their encouraged smiles, their admiring eyes as they looked upon their leader. To see that such simple words had inspired the motley group of heroes, Loki could not help being captivated by their blatant loyalty.

But the bitterness of standing on the sidelines of such a spectacle broke him from the revere, and the harsh reality of his situation made his shoulders heavy.

He turned away to look out the window, and forced himself to look past the reflection of the Avengers in the glass to the sky outside.

His eyebrows raised slightly in surprise, and he did not have time to react before he was blasted back and into the wall at the other end of the room in a rain of glass.

He gasped and coughed, trying to pull air back into his lungs as he forced himself onto his hands and knees on the floor. He ignored the glass that sliced into his palms and looked to the source of the blow.

There, standing before all of the Avengers armed and at the ready, was Thanos.

* * *

''New plan?'' Tony commented sarcastically. The other Avengers ignored him, and Thor stepped forward to address Thanos.

''You may take this chance to leave, and you will have no quarrel with us,'' Thor warned, fist tight around the handle of his mjolnir. The others kept their hands steady with their weapons, despite the fear that coursed through them.

Thanos was large, more so than they had expected. He would give Hulk a run for his money in size. Rippled with otherwordly muscle, his thick skin was a deep purple and his face was square and alien. The presence he held in the room was palpable and frightening.

Thanos chuckled in response, and his voice when he spoke was deep with threat. ''Thor of Asgard. God of Thunder. I am here for your false brother. Do not interfere.''

''Loki is Odinson,'' Thor countered. ''If you have quarrel with my brother, you have quarrel with me.''

''Your threat means nothing to me,'' Thanos said simply. When he moved forward, it was clear that he did not take the Avengers seriously. He looked past them, to Loki still on the floor. ''You took something that was in my possession.''

''That you stole,'' Loki reminded him breathlessly. He grunted as he forced himself up from the floor.

''I would advise you not to take another step,'' Thor warned, from behind Thanos now. Thanos stopped his progression towards the mischief maker, and looked over his shoulder at Thor. Arrogantly, he took a step forward without breaking eye contact.

The blow from the mjolnir knocked Thanos to one knee, but his responsive backhand sent Thor tumbling across the living room floor. He came to an abrupt stop when his back hit a window, and the glass cracked from the impact but did not shatter.

Thanos caught Steve's shield easily when he threw it, and used it to deflect Tony's blasts of power. He threw the shield at the man of iron and there was a harsh crunch of metal when it connected with Tony's torso.

Thanos felt an annoying twinge on his leg, and looked down to see an arrow latched onto his skin. When the head of the arrow exploded, he cried out in pain and fell to his knees, his eyes searching angrily for the source. When he saw Clint with his bow, another arrow poised to strike, he grabbed the archer and threw him across the room.

Clint's back slammed against the already cracked glass above Thor's head and it gave under the impact. He fell through and began a deadly descent toward the ground.

''Clint!'' Natasha screamed.

''Got him,'' Tony said, grunting as he dislodged Steve's shield from his suit and jumping from the window after the fallen archer.

Natasha fired at Thanos, but the bullets flattened against his thick skin and fell to the floor with minute clanks. He ignored her as he progressed toward Loki, who brandished his scepter but was otherwise defenseless without his powers. His eyes danced desperately, flickering over Thanos and the room as he tried to formulate a scheme in his mind that would save him.

Natasha dove and rolled across the floor, coming to her feet at Loki's side. Thanos reared back slightly in surprise, and she aimed for the soft spots of his body while he was off of his guard.

He cried out when one of Natasha's bullets hit home and lodged deep into the socket of his eye. Blood gushed from the wound and spilled over his face and onto the floor. His pain was short-lived, replaced by his anger, and his one good eye found and locked on her.

Loki moved to defend her, but Natasha grabbed his arm and shoved him back. ''Run!'' she cried, just as Thanos wrapped his hand around her small waist and lifted her from the ground.

Loki watched with wide eyes as Thanos tossed her across the room as easily as if she were a rag doll. Her side connected with the edge of the surface of the bar with a sickening crunch, and her momentum rolled her over the counter and onto the floor. Loki sucked in a sharp breath when the assassin did not rise again.

He turned his attention quickly to Thanos, who was ascending on him fast. When he heard a resounding roar from across the room in the direction of Bruce Banner, he knew the battle had truly begun.

* * *

Natasha laid there for what seemed like hours, listening to the battle continue around her out of sight. It was muted slightly, as if she were under water. At one point she tried to lift her head, to speak, but the world swam and blurred and the noises stopped altogether as she slipped further toward unconsciousness.

She saw blurs of green and black and gold just before she finally succumbed to it, the pain finally giving and her mind going black.

When Natasha woke again she was in her own bed. She tried to sit up, but the pain that coursed through her from the attempt made her stomach turn. She bit her tongue to keep from crying out, and her body writhed against the sheets.

She was suddenly, blatantly aware of the heat. Her vision blurred from it, and she ignored the pain as she shoved the sheets off of her body desperately. She felt like she was on fire, and her lungs hurt with every sharp breath. She felt the sweat beading and trickling down her skin, but it did not cool her.

She saw movement to the side of her and she fumbled for the gun she kept stashed under her pillow, her pain forgotten for the moment. She became more desperate when she saw that her visitor was the God of Mischief.

''I will not hold this against you, Agent Romanoff,'' he said, his face serious despite the teasing nature of his words. ''That I was able to sneak up on you so easily.''

Her hand came up empty, and she watched as Loki pulled the weapon she'd been searching for from the waistband of his pants. He set it on the nightstand beside her bed out of reach, and sat down on the edge of her mattress.

She tensed and fought to move away, but the pain that ripped through her made her vision blur further and her struggles fall short.

''I would not advise you trying to move,'' Loki warned her, albeit too late. ''Your injuries are quite severe.''

''Where are the others?'' she demanded.

''They went after Thanos, but I am sure they have lost him by now,'' he answered.

''And they left you here to what? To look after me?'' she breathed, her tone betraying her disbelief.

''Do not be ungrateful,'' he said calmly, though there was bite behind the words.

''Why is it so hot?'' she gasped as the heat assaulted her again. ''I feel like I'm burning.''

''You are running a fever,'' he explained. ''Your body is fighting to recover from your wounds.''

She fought the urge to shy away when he moved closer to her, and she did not regret her decision when he pressed his fingers to her forehead. They were cool, like ice, and she sighed from the relief they instantly brought.

''I thought your father took away your powers,'' she said lazily, closing her eyes.

She did not see Loki's ghost of a smile. ''My father cannot take away my true nature.''

''Did the cold never give you away as a Frost Giant?'' she asked.

Loki's hand pulled away instantly, surprised by the question. It was blatant, and personal, and it angered him that she had asked it so casually. She opened her eyes, and her expression was not malicious, only pained slightly from her injuries. Her face gleaned with the sweat from her fever, and her eyes were clouded and weak. He returned his hand to her face tentatively, his anger calmed.

''None were close enough to inquire about it,'' he answered, though he was uncertain himself.

''And you? Did you never notice?'' she asked.

He took a few minutes before answering, his lips parted slightly as he struggled for the words. ''I think I always knew. But there is something appealing about pretending to be someone you are not.''

She was silent for a long time, and it was only when he was certain she had fallen asleep that she spoke again, surprising him. ''You gave me a straight answer.''

His jaw tensed slightly. ''Do not get used to it, little spider. I only pity you in your condition.''

''No one will ever trust you when you only speak in riddles,'' she asserted, ignoring him.

''I do not seek your trust,'' he said calmly, fighting the urge to be angry and defensive.

''Then why are you helping me?'' she asked, her eyes flickering up to his fingers pressed to her forehead.

''It would not suit me to have you succumb to the fever,'' he admitted, voice dark and menacing. He saw a tremor run through her that had nothing to do with the fever. ''The day will come when I will rule over your world. I will relish the sight of you on your knees before me.''

''Does it bother you that much? That I can see through you so easily?'' she taunted, her attention returning to him, her voice changed. The fire was back in her eyes, and his breath left him sharply. Had she been playing him, even in this weakened state?

The knowing look in her eyes was his answer.

* * *

Author's Note: A lot happened in this chapter... I'm trying to make up for the lack of action in the previous ones. Introduction to Thanos, and some Blackfrost interaction that will be continued in the next chapter. Please continue reading and review!


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own anything pertaining to The Avengers or any of its associations.

* * *

Loki moved away from her abruptly.

The movement reminded him that he had not escaped the battle with Thanos unscathed himself. He stumbled slightly and caught himself on the wall beside her bed. His hand clenched into a fist against the plaster.

He glared down at her, at her smug face with the slightest sheen of sweat. ''You thought to lower your guard because I am hurt,'' she stated, her lip twitching in amusement.

''I will not make the same mistake twice,'' he snarled.

''You would take pity on a human?'' she drawled, her amusement cut short by a sudden pain. She winced, but did not break eye contact with Loki.

''Human is not a word I would use to describe you at this moment,'' he said, his words biting. He shook his head. ''What did your trickery accomplish? You took nothing from me.''

''A distraction,'' she admitted. ''Until the others returned. You took my weapon, I was left with few options.''

''The fever should not allow such coherency,'' Loki commented, his anger overridden with curiosity. ''Yet you were conscious enough to think to manipulate me. Perhaps you are not human.''

''That's none of your business,'' she said sharply.

''An eye for an eye?'' he taunted, repeating her words back to her. He had confided in her something personal, and he wanted the same in return. Her smile in response was falsely endearing.

''You always have a look about you, like you know something that we do not,'' she said. ''I rather like you being in the dark.''

''A taste of my own medicine?'' he supplied.

''Is it bitter?'' she asked him, her eyes even more taunting than her words.

His approach to the bed was sudden, and he watched her tense to move away and the pain that the movement brought her. The humor in her expression was gone, only a fire left behind in the face of the threat of his proximity.

He placed a knee on the bed, and she felt the cold against her thigh even through the leather of his pants. He shifted his body above her, placing his elbows and forearms to the bed at either side of her head, his face hovering only inches from hers.

The sheen of sweat on her face and the heat that radiated from her body gave her away. She was healing fast, faster than she should, but the fever still assaulted her. Her body bowed slightly towards him, towards the cold that his body promised, and the look on her face was angry and weak and surprisingly vulnerable.

She was suddenly aware again of her condition, of his advantage over her at this moment.

His mouth when it pressed to hers was welcome. Cold flooded her, assaulted her, chased away the heat from even the furthest extensions of her body. His lips were vicious, bruising against hers, and gone only a short moment later.

The heat was back with a vengeance, and Loki was across the room and at the door before she could even think past it. She glared at him from the bed, a fresh sheen of sweat adorning her beautiful body, struggling against the heat and to catch her breath.

''Is it bitter?'' he asked her.

He slipped from the room without a look back to her.

* * *

It was at least two hours before the fever finally broke. The others had returned only moments after Loki had left her room, and they had been in and out to tend to her ever since. After it broke, she banned them from her room, wanting to make the rest of her recovery on her own.

When she managed to get out of her bed and stumble to the bathroom, her reflection in the glass nearly frightened her. She was wearing only a black camisole and underwear, the former of which was wrinkled from her bedridden hours. It was not as disheveled as her hair, which was protruding up at every angle and sticky with sweat.

There were deep circles under her eyes, and her face was vacant and pale. She lifted the edge of her shirt to take off the bandages on her torso, wishing to observe the wounds underneath.

Though the bandages were covered in blood, there was no hint of an open wound on her waist. There was bruising, deep and dark and sickly, and her ribs were still tender from where they had connected with the counter of the bar.

She had long abandoned her surprise whenever she healed quickly from even the most gruesome of wounds. She turned around and leaned back against the edge of the sink, pressing her palm to her forehead as memories assaulted her.

She could not remember the Red Room. She only remembered returning to Russia and investigating it much later, finding the files and papers and the abandoned facility that was her home for her most crucial years of development. The ones that had shaped her, molded her into the person she was today.

She stiffly pulled on the black cotton robe that hung on the back of the door, and went out to join the others.

* * *

Everyone in the living room turned to look at Natasha when she entered. At first their expressions were surprised and concerned, but they soon clouded over with something much less innocent as she stepped carefully into the kitchen. Her injuries forgotten, their eyes traveled the length of her legs that protruded from the edge of the robe.

She was too famished to take notice, pulling out whatever food she could find from the fridge that would be easy on her stomach and pouring herself a glass of water.

After she drained the glass, she turned to Steve. He looked worse for wear himself, adorning several lacerations on his face. She was sure there were more on his body, hidden by his uniform. ''You lost Thanos?''

''He is quite agile for his size,'' Tony commented dryly.

''The only reason you followed Thanos so far is because he allowed it,'' Loki said, bemused. ''He was merely testing your limits.''

''And you being here is testing my patience,'' Clint growled. ''Keep your mouth shut unless it's something actually helpful.'' Loki's lips pursed slightly in response, but his sigh a moment later was laced with an amused smile.

''Where do you think he went?'' Steve inquired.

''It matters not where he went, but where he will go next,'' Loki answered.

''You think now that Thanos has realized he cannot get to you that he'll go directly for the gem?'' Natasha asked.

''I fear so,'' Loki said, his nod slow and grim.

''I think it's time you took us to the gem,'' Steve commanded.

''Is that not premature?'' Thor asked. ''Do we wish to lead Thanos to it?''

''That would be jumping the gun a bit,'' Natasha agreed.

''As much as I would like to agree, seeing as you fully intend to dispose of me once the gem is in your possession,'' Loki began, nodding his head toward Natasha and then to Thor. ''The concern would not be _leading_ Thanos to the gem, but rather beating him to it.''

They all tensed, and Steve jerked to his feet. ''Explain,'' he demanded, approaching Loki urgently.

Loki narrowed his eyes at him, displeased by the command.

''Speak!'' Clint cheered, clapping his knees with his hands, as if encouraging a young puppy. Tony snorted at this, and Bruce cracked a grin. Only Steve, Natasha, and Thor retained their serious demeanor, thought the latter was likely due to a lack of understanding.

But Loki understood, and the blade of his scepter was pressed to Clint's throat not even a moment later. ''That would not be wise,'' he warned as everyone drew their weapons and trained them on him.

''I was sent here to help-'' Loki began angrily.

''For now,'' Natasha interjected.

''_For now_,'' he added, his jaw tensing.

''I will be treated with respect,'' he continued, his tone biting. ''Keep in mind that I can end this at any moment. If my fate is death at your hands, it matters not to me if I die now before Thanos is defeated.''

They were silent for a few long moments, and when Steve motioned for them to lower their weapons, they obliged. ''Fair enough,'' Steve said, and Loki removed his scepter. Clint's hand rose to his throat, wiping clear the singular drop of blood that Loki had spilled.

''Thanos thought that it would be easy for him to get his hands on me,'' Loki explained. ''He is sure to be angry to be denied. I thought he would not do something rash before, but now I am certain he will.''

When no one spoke, he continued. ''He will return to Asgard, to force the answer from Heimdall, the one who sees all.''

''Then he will not find the answer he seeks,'' Thor said, his voice laced with relief.

Loki chuckled, but it was not amused. ''Thanos would wage a war against Asgard if they do not cooperate. You think father would not sacrifice Midgard in return for peace?''

''Father would not,'' Thor said without hesitation.

Loki's smile was quick, laced with anger and malice. ''You are naive, brother. Father is not the noble man you make him out to be. He is a coward''

Thor opened his mouth to speak, but Tony held up a hand to stop him. ''Okay, you have daddy issues. Let's move on,'' he asserted. ''What's the plan, Captain?''

Steve looked to his shield, testing the weight of it in his hand. ''We can't take the risk...'' he said aloud, though it was meant only for himself.

His eyes returned to the other Avengers and Loki, looking to each of them in turn.

''Suit up.''

* * *

Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review!


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own anything pertaining to The Avengers or any of its associations.

* * *

They boarded one of Tony's private jets, and given vague instructions from Loki on their destination, they set on their journey.

Natasha shifted stiffly in the pilot's seat, the fresh bandages wrapped around her waist and the tight leather of her jumpsuit were uncomfortable against her still-healing abdomen.

Loki was seated beside her to lead her along the way, and he was thankful for the seclusion of the cockpit from the others. His eyes flickered to her face when he noticed her discomfort, and his lips pressed into a hard line.

''Why did you not stay in your casual attire if you are in pain?'' he inquired. ''You are surely not fighting.''

Natasha pressed a few buttons on the dashboard of the jet before looking over to him. Her expression was blank. ''Of course I am.''

''You will not fair well,'' he warned.

She quirked an eyebrow at him, and a touch of amusement lit her otherwise vacant face. ''You would underestimate me? Have you not learned your lesson, Loki Odinson?''

''Laufeyson,'' he snapped. ''I am son of Laufey, not Odin.'' Her amusement faded, and her jaw tightened in anger of his reprimand. He looked away from her.

''You would claim a man you did not know to be your father, over the man that raised you?'' Natasha asked.

''Would you claim a man your father that raised you to be a pawn of war, and not a king? That kept your true origins from you, not to spare your feelings, but because you knowing such a thing did not yet suit his purpose?'' he retaliated acidly.

When Natasha did not answer him, he relaxed back in his seat and forced himself to calm. When he spoke again, the anger was gone from his voice. ''I like to think that if I had been left in Jotunheim, my life would have been different. That I would have been the rightful king, and not just a false prince that never truly belonged.''

Natasha looked to him, her expression guarded. ''Thor believes you are Odinson. Even though you are a Frost Giant, you never stopped being his brother.''

Loki sucked in a sharp breath, surprised by the direction she took the conversation. His eyes suddenly welled with tears, and he kept his gaze to the front, hoping the woman beside him would not take notice. After a long moment, Loki's head fell. ''Thor is a fool.''

''He loves you,'' she asserted without missing a beat. Loki looked to her, forgetting the tears that brimmed in his eyes.

''Love is for children,'' he said. The corner of his lip twisted slightly in a grin, but it did not reach his eyes.

''He is one at heart, isn't he?'' Natasha commented wryly. ''A rather large one though.''

This time, Loki's smile was true. There was a muted rumbling sound, and she realized that Loki was laughing. He closed his eyes and pressed his fingers to his lips, trying to suppress it. But it escaped through his fingers, and Natasha found herself smiling in return. It was a pleasant sound.

The moment was broken when Steve came into the cockpit to check on their progress. After he left, they did not resume their conversation. The next few hours passed in silence, with Loki only breaking it to give Natasha directions. It seemed like decades before they reached the end of their journey.

''We are here,'' Loki said finally.

* * *

They had landed the jet on the top of a canyon, descended into its depths and now stood at the mouth of the cave that was tucked within the two towering walls. A waterfall broke through the silence, soothing despite the nature of their visit.

''What is this place?'' Bruce asked, his fingers feeling the air. ''It feels strange.''

''Why would you put the gem here?'' Clint asked.

Loki turned to face them, his hands outstretched at each side. ''This is the one place in all of Midgard that Heimdall cannot see. Franang's Falls,'' Loki breathed, a smirk twitching at his lips.

Thor was unusually solemn, his head lowered to his chest. It slowly drew their attention to him, but he did not answer their inquisitive stares. When Loki's eyes fell on him, they were aflame. ''You remember this place, brother?'' he sneered.

Thor's jaw tightened slightly, but he did not respond. Loki moved toward his brother, each step drawn out and taunting. ''Do you wish to tell them why I placed the gem here, or shall I?''

''Enough, brother,'' Thor rumbled, his head snapping up and his face alight.

Loki slowly came to a stop, his smile malicious. But nonetheless, he let the subject drop.

''Thanos is not here,'' Steve observed aloud.

''When Heimdall reveals that he cannot see where the gem is located, it will be answer enough for Thanos. Few know of Franang's Falls, but he will surely get his hands on someone that does,'' Loki stated, his tone sharp. ''He will be here shortly.''

''Who in Asgard knows of Franang's Falls?'' Thor questioned. ''Who will come to harm at his hand?''

''It matters not to me,'' Loki replied carelessly, his eyebrows raising as he splayed his hands open before himself.

Before Thor could respond, Steve interrupted. ''We should locate the gem and leave before Thanos catches up to us.''

''Very well,'' Loki ceded, turning his back to them and striding into the opening of the cave. They followed cautiously, each weary of Loki and his reputation for mischief. Following him into a dark cave seemed like asking for trouble.

To their surprise, nothing happened. It did not provide them with relief, but only made them wonder more what trickery would surface from Loki.

When he finally stopped, they could only see his back in the dim light cast from Tony's glowing palm. Tony maneuvered around Loki to allow the light to shine in the space before him.

There was a large boulder against the wall, and the trunk of a small tree was partially visible growing at its side. At the base of the rock was a length of chain, and the dark red stains on the links made a violent tremor run through Natasha's body. There was a dark liquid trailing down the body of the rock, but she could not see its source, still encased in shadow.

Natasha moved forward, reaching to touch the liquid.

Loki's grip was sharp and fast, painful as he jerked her back and away from the rock. The force of it made her fall back against his chest, and she looked up at him with wide, frightened eyes but did not move away. Loki was surprised by his body's immediate reaction to her proximity, and he was certain she was aware of it as well by the way her eyes widened a fraction more.

''That would not be advised,'' he said to her, breathless as he gazed down at her. ''It is acid. The serpent's venom.''

''Serpent?'' Clint inquired. Loki gently dislodged Natasha from his chest and approached Tony. He placed a finger below Tony's elbow, and applied pressure to change the angle of the light so that it rose to the space above the boulder.

The limbs of the tree sprouted along the cave's wall in a cloud above the rock. Now that the thin brown branches were illuminated by the light, they could see the snake coiled on one of the limbs. It's mouth was agape, and they could see the venom welling at the tip of each fang before dropping down onto the boulder.

A tremor ran through Tony at the sight, and the slight twitch of his hand moved the light just slightly askew. Something caught Natasha's eye with the change, and she understood why Loki had led them to the snake.

''The gem,'' she said, watching it glow from its perch in the coiled body of the snake.

''Well... shit,'' Clint breathed.

A crash at the entrance of the cave had them all fumbling for their weapons, and it became clear that Clint's words were null and void, the snake a dull threat in comparison to the large figure that now made its way toward them.

With the light from Tony's palm now aimed towards the entrance of the cave, it was only a matter of seconds before Thanos was close enough to fall under its glow.

He looked the same as before, large and purple and intimidating. But there was something new about him, and it only took them a few short moments to recognize what was different.

There, encasing his left hand, was what they presumed to be the Infinity Gauntlet. There were five gems glowing menacingly at each knuckle against the gold metal, with one empty space at the center for the sixth and final gem.

His eyes went to the snake on the wall, as if he could see it through the darkness. When his eyes returned to them, they were alight with victory.

His smile was calm and confident, and it filled them each with dread.

''Avengers...'' Steve commanded, his voice tainted slightly with uncertainty. ''Assemble!''

* * *

Author's Note: I wonder if anyone can guess where this is going... I hope not! What I do hope though, is that you enjoyed this chapter. Please review!


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own anything pertaining to The Avengers or any of its associations.

* * *

They all moved to stand together, side by side, facing Thanos with their weapons drawn and at the ready. Loki remained at their backs, and soon the symbolism at that moment would not be lost on them.

Thanos laughed at them. ''You place your trust in the untrustworthy. You have led me to my victory. The doom of your world is no fault but your own.''

Their gasps of shock were sharp, and Steve turned to Loki while the others kept their eyes locked on Thanos. ''He didn't return to Asgard. You had us lead him here. You lied to us.''

''You are surprised?'' Loki asked with raised eyebrows. He splayed his hands out before himself. ''It is in my nature.''

Steve's jaw clenched angrily and he turned back to face Thanos.

''You are pathetic,'' Thanos chuckled. ''I take pity on you. Step aside and I will spare you.''

''Not today,'' Steve said, and they all attacked at once.

It was obvious that Thanos had not expected them to defy him. He lurched back in surprise, and cried out as their assault rained down on him. Steve threw his shield; Tony sent a blast of energy; Clint released an arrow; Hulk landed a strike; Thor struck him with his hammer; Natasha fired a hail of bullets.

Thanos stumbled backwards but did not succumb to the assault. He cried out in answer and swept his arms out, catching each of them in the blow and knocking them to either side. They crashed against the cave walls and crumbled to the floor, each recovering slowly but steadily from the ground.

All except Natasha, who remained in the dirt, trying to lift herself up but failing.

Thanos walked past them and to Loki, who stood before the snake waiting for him.

''I did not ask for your help, Asgardian. You have served me well nonetheless. I will kill you quickly,'' Thanos stated.

But to his dismay, Loki was neither afraid nor thankful for his generosity. Instead, a smile slowly crept onto Loki's lips, and his expression was thoroughly arrogant.

Thanos started to move back, realizing that the Avengers were not the only ones that had fallen for Loki's trickery. His eyes took in the chains at the base of the boulder, and Loki's scepter clutched tightly in his hand. He heard movement at his back, blocking his escape.

''Now, brother!'' Loki cried, his expression determined and serious.

The blow from the hammer was too much for Thanos, and he fell on his front on the body of the rock. Before he could recover, the brothers had fastened the chains around him, binding him to its surface.

The residual venom on the rock sizzled at his skin, and the fresh stream that poured from the serpent's mouth ate at the flesh and bones in its path. Thanos screamed in agony, and the sound was nearly deafening. His cries were cut short when the poison reached his throat.

The rest of the Avengers were silent and still, and Loki was quick to take advantage of their shock.

He struck Thor across the face with the back of his scepter, and he fell to his knee. The next swing of Loki's scepter took off Thanos's left hand, and the gauntlet fell free.

''Brother, no!'' Thor cried, but it was too late.

Loki slipped his hand into the gauntlet, and the metal reformed over his hand. He secured the final gem from the snake, and he held it just above the open slot as he faced the others.

''Now you will know what it truly means to fear me,'' Loki said with a smirk.

The standing Avengers recovered from their shock and lunged for the mischief maker, but when he secured the gem into place a wave of power erupted from the gauntlet and blasted them all back.

The force of their impacts with the cave walls made some of the rock give under them, and clouds of dirt and dust obscured the air. When it cleared, the room was still, except for Thanos still writhing on the rock.

Loki twirled the scepter in his hand proudly, deciding to take his leave.

As he passed by Thor, his demeanor dampened slightly, and his feet hesitated on the ground. His eyes were sad when they looked upon his brother, unconscious and broken on the floor.

He forced himself past. As he took a few steps nearer to the entrance of the cave, he realized that not all of the Avengers had been hit by the gauntlet's blast.

* * *

Natasha was on the ground at Loki's feet, and when the tips of his boots came into her line of sight, she lifted her head to face him. The pain was evident on her face, but still her eyes held fire when she looked upon him.

He went to a knee before her, and she froze when he lifted his left hand toward her. The metal of the gauntlet was cold against her chin as he raised her face upward, and her fear choked in her throat.

''You look frightened, little spider,'' he drawled, a small smile playing on his lips.

''Not of you,'' she said through gritted teeth.

''Of the gauntlet?'' Loki said, bemused. ''It is harmless without the man behind it.''

''Then I have nothing at all to fear,'' Natasha said lowly. ''You are a child.''

Loki's amusement died immediately. He set the scepter on the ground and slipped his free hand into her hair, pulling it back and forcing her up onto her knees. Her body initially resisted, but he did not relent, and her face contorted in pain at the position.

''You were angry at your father for lying to you about your true parentage, for intending to use you as a pawn and favoring your brother. Your actions in New York were those of a child acting out for attention, not of a man,'' she growled.

Loki stood and pulled her up with him. She cried out, but he held her up when her body failed to support her past the pain. He kept one hand in her hair, and the other with the gauntlet wrapped around her arm to secure his hold on her.

''Bite your tongue,'' he growled at her. He pulled her close, and his breath was cool and ragged on her face. ''You know not of which you speak.''

''You're angry because I do,'' she said calmly, her voice edged with pain. ''You're angry because I know you better than you know yourself. Or better than you'll allow yourself. You hide behind the arrogant facade of a villain, a monster, because you can't handle what you really are.''

''And what is that, Agent Romanoff?'' Loki asked, the fire in his eyes both a dare and a warning.

''Lost.''

He struck her then, and she fell into a heap on the ground. His anger raged through him, and he walked backwards until he felt the cool wall of the cave press against his back. He stayed there silently, willing himself to calm.

When he managed to collect himself once again, he approached Natasha's limp body curled on the floor. He grunted lightly as he lifted her up into his arms, before making his way back toward the entrance of the cave.

* * *

When Natasha woke, she could not move. She felt pressure on her wrists at her back, across her shoulders and each of her ankles. When the last bits of her mind resumed consciousness, she realized she was bound to a chair.

The pain of her injuries was faded and only a small thought at the back of her mind, and she wondered how long she had been unconscious to have healed so thoroughly.

She let her eyes adjust to the dim lighting of the room before looking around and inspecting her situation.

It was a low end motel room, and the air smelled of mildew and cheap cleaning supplies. The carpet was stained, and the bed looked old and worn. Most would be disgusted, but Natasha had stayed in worse conditions as a spy.

The door opened slowly at her back, and she felt a tremor of fear run through her.

''You're awake,'' Loki said, his voice as slick as silk.

''What do you want with me?'' she demanded.

Loki was silent as he passed around her chair, and he sat down slowly on the edge of the bed in front of her. She met his eyes evenly, angrily, and waited for him to answer.

''You are a liability,'' he answered, splaying his hands out before himself.

''A liability?'' she repeated, and confusion played along with the anger on her expression.

''I am on the brink of making your world crumble before me,'' he breathed, and his face was blatant and honest. ''You said you know me better than I know myself. It is a risk I am not willing to take.''

Natasha swallowed hard, and fear welled heavily in her stomach. ''What do you intend to do with me?'' she asked, but she knew what he would say next. She could feel her heartbeat choking in her throat, and she closed her eyes and tried to calm.

Loki hooked his fingers under her chin and her eyes snapped open, but his grip was gentle. He moved off of the bed, and fell to his knee before her. He rested his hands on her knees, and she shivered from the cold.

''I will give you two options,'' he said slowly, and there was warning hidden behind his tone. ''And you will choose wisely.''

Natasha said nothing, and just waited for him to continue.

''Your first option, my dear,'' he said. ''Is to die.''

It was expected, but still Natasha felt her stomach clench in fear. ''Someone would hear.''

Loki's responding laugh was soft, and the knot in her belly tightened. ''From what I heard last night from all of those around us, you will probably not be the only body they find tomorrow.''

Natasha's stomach rolled, and she barely kept what little food was still in her stomach down. Her jaw clenched in anger, and her eyes were burning.

If it had any effect on Loki, he did not let it show.

''What is my second option?'' she said through gritted teeth.

His lips parted slightly, and his tongue rolled in his mouth as he thought on his answer. She did not know if he was just at a loss for words, or if he was questioning giving her the second option entirely.

''Your second option,'' he said carefully. ''Is to join me.''

* * *

Author's Note: So much happened... This chapter got away from me. But I like where it went, and I hope you do too! Please review and keep reading!


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I do not own anything pertaining to The Avengers or any of its associations.

* * *

''Join you?'' she repeated slowly, carefully, as if the words would break. Her shock was palpable, and Loki was frozen in front of her, waiting for her to process his words.

After a long while he broke the silence. ''I am the God of Mischief, of lies and trickery and manipulation. Yet you managed to win at my own game, on the helicarrier two years ago. And several times since then. It has put me in a terrible position.''

Natasha looked down, away from his beautiful green eyes. She flickered through the possibilities, of this being a manipulation of its own, of how she could get out of this situation with her life.

''You will not trick me this time,'' Loki snarled at her suddenly, and her eyes jumped back to his. ''I will have your loyalty or I will have your life.''

''You won't kill me.''

The words spilled from her lips before she could think to stop them.

''You would be a fool to believe that, Agent Romanoff,'' he said. ''And much to my dismay, you have proved yourself time and time again that you are not one.''

''Then take my life.''

Loki moved back from her, and stood at his full height. ''Would being my ally truly be worth giving up your life to avoid?''

''I want my ledger wiped clean. It was you who threw it in my face that it's dripping, gushing red,'' she reminded him. ''If I were to join you, I'd just be adding more red.''

''I killed my own father,'' Loki said, and his eyes were suddenly brimming with tears. He was not angry as she had expected him to be, or not as completely. ''I killed Laufey. I can kill you.''

There was something about the way he said the words, it sounded more like he was trying to convince himself than her. ''You won't kill me,'' she said softly, lowly.

''Why not?'' he asked her, his voice wavering slightly.

''You know why,'' she replied calmly.

''Why not?'' he pressed again, his voice raising.

She was silent.

''Tell! Me!'' he screamed at her. Natasha felt her own eyes well with tears, at his raw expression of anger and pain. He was suddenly so close, his hands on the arms of her chair and his cold breath ragged on her face.

''You're in over your head,'' she said. ''You have all this power now and you don't know what to do with it. You don't know what you can do that you can recover from later, after we stop you. You're going to crash and burn, and you're scared. You want me alive, with you or against you, because you know either way I will be the one to hold your hand when it's all over.''

His eyes widened slightly, and then narrowed again as he searched her face for lies, for some proof of her manipulation. But there was no evidence to be found.

His eyes met hers again, and they were open and vulnerable. It was so different than she had ever seen him, and she wondered if this was the face of the man that had had his heart broken when he'd found out his true parentage.

The tears fell free from her eyes, and Loki moved back in surprise. ''You... For me?''

Natasha did not say anything, but she didn't have to.

Loki moved forward the next moment, and pressed his mouth against hers.

It was rough and bruising, and his silver tongue was desperate as he deepened the kiss. It took Natasha a moment to recover from her shock before she responded, as much as she could with her body restrained on the chair.

As if reading her mind, the ropes were cut in a moment, and her hands were on him instantly, pulling him closer. He growled, deep in his throat, before tangling a hand in her hair. His other, with the gauntlet, reached under her thigh and lifted her from the chair. He turned them both around, and dropped her roughly on the bed.

He put his knee on the bed beside her hip, and reached down to the zipper at the front of her jumpsuit. He kept his back straight, his eyes narrow and clear as he pulled it slowly down. The suit was like a second skin, but the way she slipped the rest of the way out of it made his heart skip a beat.

The anticipation made the breath catch in Natasha's throat, and she watched his face as he looked over her exposed body. Impatiently, she sat up and started pushing his coat back from his shoulders, but he shoved her back down on the bed and stepped away. She went up on her elbows, and watched him as he started peeling off the layers of his Asgardian armor.

She was mesmerized as he took it off piece by piece, each intricate and delicate in design. He never looked at her, and she knew he was only doing it to anger her. He did not remove his boots or pants, only unfastened the top button before finally looking at her once again. He drew slowly to the bed, each step small and precise and taunting.

He smirked at the twitch of her jaw in anger as she watched him, and the flickering of something much more in her eyes. He watched her eyes fall down his body, as they had the day she had woken him and Thor. His body responded immediately, as it had then.

His eyes fell to her breasts, covered only slightly by the thin black lace of her bra, entranced by the rapid rise and fall of her chest. He went to a knee on the bed again and looked down at her, and met her wrathful eyes.

Fear flickered in her eyes when he raised his hand with the gauntlet to her chest, but it disappeared when he used it to cut the middle string of fabric holding the cups of her bra together. He froze for a moment, and it was Natasha's turn to smirk as his eyes hesitated on her chest.

But when she tried to move, he was suddenly aware again, and he forced her back down onto the mattress.

Where the initial events had been slow and drawn out, the next ones transpired quickly. Loki shoved her legs apart with his knees while his fingers swept over the remaining buttons of his pants. Then he was suddenly off of the bed again, standing at its edge, and he latched his hands beneath her thighs and lifted her hips off of the bed and level with his.

He did not rip her panties, only pushed the black lace aside. With no warning or preparation, he was suddenly pressing inside of her, filling her.

She cried out in pain, and his hands were unrelenting on her hips, not allowing her to move away from it. Her cries died out a few moments later, replaced with breathless gasps as he rolled his hips against her. But her eyes were still angry as he moved slowly in and out of her, giving her time to adjust to his body's intrusion on her own.

Loki lowered her back to the bed and followed her down, resting his forearms on the bed beside her head to keep the weight of his chest off of her. He lowered his face to hers and kissed her deeply, just as his body resumed its movement over hers.

Moans replaced gasps, and Natasha twitched her hips to meet one of Loki's thrusts. He hissed against her lips in response, and shifted his weight on the bed to slip his hand into her hair. She made a small, pained sound in her throat as he tightened his grip, pulling the hair sharply. His other hand went to her hip, and his grip was steel as he kept her immobile against the bed.

Natasha's eyes widened in surprise. In both her line of work and her personal life, she was always the one in control. It was always something she prided herself on, to always have that much awareness of herself. But something about having it taken away from her, at least in this situation, made her body respond in ways it never had before.

Loki barred his teeth as he increased his pace, and Natasha's eyes narrowed from both the pleasure and the pain. She writhed against the bed under his thrusts, and his eyes flickered to her chest, watching the soft flesh there rise and fall rapidly as he continued his vicious assault on her body.

Natasha's hand gripped at Loki's chest, and her nails caught at his flesh. It healed immediately under her touch, but the surprise of it caused Loki's rhythm to change, and Natasha's body responded accordingly. Loki groaned through barred teeth as he came, his eyes flickering closed, and it was just those last few moments before he did that spilled Natasha over the edge with him.

He kept himself up on his forearms as he fought to catch his breath, watching the small woman beneath him still writhing slightly from her orgasm. Her skin was burning beneath him, and her body twitched toward the cold of his own.

Loki leaned down and pressed his mouth to hers. She sighed when his silver tongue slipped into her mouth, and the kiss was gentle and sweet and intimate, everything the other kisses had not been.

After a few moments he moved off of her and laid on his back at her side, both of their bodies encased in a light sheen of sweat and their chests heavy. They laid there for a long time, staring at the ceiling and saying nothing.

After a while, Loki turned his head to looked at her.

Natasha's face was neutral, but her mind was working hard behind her eyes to think of a way to escape. Loki's options for her had been few, and she had to think of a way to get away and return safely to the Avengers.

Loki was not completely lost on the workings of the woman beside him, and he returned his gaze to the ceiling.

''Go.''

Natasha jerked upright in surprise and turned to look at him, her face questioning and frightened. But his face gave her nothing, and he did not look to her as she slipped off the bed and into her jumsuit, before making for the door.

Natasha hesitated in the open doorway, before looking back to Loki on the bed.

''I'm sorry,'' she said, her voice wavering.

When he did not respond, she pulled the door shut behind her and ran.

* * *

Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! This was kind of a vacation away from the plot, but I suppose it does have its contributions as well. Please continue reading, and please review!


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own anything pertaining to The Avengers or any of its associations.

* * *

When Natasha was a safe distance away from the motel, she ducked into an alley and fought to catch her breath. The space between her legs ached, and she used the wall to keep herself upright and stable.

She fumbled for her phone and dialed Tony's cell. He answered before the first ring finished. ''Tasha? What happened? Where are you? We thought you were...'' his voice trailed off softly. ''Are you okay? Where's Loki?''

''I'm okay,'' she answered breathlessly. ''I escaped.''

''I'm on my way right now, I have a lock on your location,'' he said. ''Are you safe?''

''I'm safe,'' she said, swallowing hard. She let herself slip down the wall until she was sitting down, and she leaned her head back against the cool brick. ''Loki will be long gone by the time you get here.''

* * *

When Natasha was gone, Loki moved from the bed and dressed slowly. He could have used the gauntlet to have the clothes appear on his body immediately, but he decided to take the time to calm down. The powers he now possessed with the gauntlet far surpassed his own, and it was an exhilarating feeling. But it had nothing to do with his frantically racing heart.

Loki's eyes glanced back to the bed where Natasha's broken bra lay limp and empty on the sheets. It was then that it suddenly occurred to him, the possibility that Natasha had manipulated him once again, for her freedom. He tried to push the thought back, sure of the honesty that he had seen on her face, but it continued to eat at the edges of his certainty.

After he finished dressing he made to leave, but on a whim he went back to the bed and slipped the bra into the pocket of his jacket. It was evidence of their affair, and he didn't know if he would have to use it against her in the future. She was not likely to run back to her Avengers and tell them of their actions, true or not. The shame would be too great.

His demeanor darkened with the thought, and he slipped back into the comfort of his anger and his vengeance.

Loki wasn't entirely sure what the gauntlet could do, but he would be sure to test its limits before facing the Avengers. It was not as powerful as the Tesseract, but its powers were more easily utilized.

He closed his eyes slowly and pictured his destination, before opening them once again.

The rocks floated in the space around Loki, in a world far away from Midgard and the other realms. He stood before the throne that had belonged to Thanos, and he sat down in the vacant chair with a satisfied smirk. The Other was there before the throne, no doubt waiting for his master's return. When he saw Loki he gasped and jerked back in shock.

Loki's grin was instant and malicious.

''What happened to Thanos?'' the Other spat out, frightened.

''It matters not,'' Loki answered lowly. His full Asgardian attire suddenly formed over his body, and he relished the feel of it. The Other's eyes widened as he took in the golden horns of Loki's crown, of the staff Loki spun between the fingers of his right hand.

''You answer to me now.''

* * *

Natasha leaned back against the wall of her shower, letting the hot water run over her and burn her skin. Her mind was spinning, but the pain kept her grounded. She grabbed the sponge off of one of the shelves built into the shower and began to scrub her body raw, wanting to wash all traces of Loki from her skin.

When the initial shock had worn off, it had been replaced with an overpowering hatred. For herself, for what she had done. Or what she feared she had done. She wasn't even sure herself what her intentions had been.

Natasha had a lot of time to think about what had happened in the motel room with Loki while she waited for Tony. Too much time. She was sure when she was in bed with Loki that her intentions had been pure, that the act had not been a means for escape but rather an act of blind passion. But when she had time to think about it, she questioned herself, questioned her own motives.

Had the Red Room fucked with her mind so badly that she could lie to herself? When Loki had left her with so few options, had it triggered one of the old switches in her mind of self-preservation, such a deeply imprinted instinct that even she had been fooled? The thought made Natasha's stomach turn.

After a long while she turned off the faucet and dried her hair. When she padded out into the living room where the others were seated, they were gathered around Thor on the couches. All except Tony, who was pouring himself a drink at the bar.

''He's explaining what happened at Franang's Falls,'' Tony told her. He grabbed a second glass and poured a drink for her as well. She took it gratefully and they went to join the others on the couches.

''While Agent Romanoff was healing from the battle with Thanos, Loki came to me in secret,'' Thor rumbled. ''He told me of his plan to trick Thanos. He thought it better that no one else knew, so Thanos was sure to be fooled.''

''You're an idiot,'' Clint growled. ''You should have known Loki was going to screw us over!''

''Barton,'' Steve warned.

Thor hesitated for a moment before continuing. ''I did not know he would take the gauntlet for himself.''

''The chains,'' Natasha began, and they all looked to her. She raised her glass to her lips and took a sip before continuing. ''Were they Loki's?''

Thor's already depressed demeanor lowered even further. ''Yes.''

''Loki was chained to that rock? That was his blood?'' Steve said, his eyes wide in shock.

Thor sighed, and his hands clasped uncomfortably in his lap. ''Loki was always getting us into all sorts of trouble. More often than not it was harmless. There were a few times when Loki crossed a line that he should not have. He had to pay the price of his actions.''

''Your father would do that to his own son?'' Clint said, his eyebrows raised. ''No wonder Loki's so fucked up. Maybe you're the one who's adopted.''

Natasha smacked the back of his head, and he cried out in pain.

''My father is a great king,'' Thor said angrily.

Everyone remained silent, and Thor sighed heavily when his anger calmed.

''How did you get away from Loki?'' Bruce asked Natasha suddenly, breaking the silence.

Natasha did not answer, just sipped her drink.

Steve did not wait for her to break her silence. Instead, he stood and raised his chin in determination. ''We need to find him and stop him.''

Natasha shook her head slowly, her mouth set in a hard line. She lowered the drink from her lips and rested it in her lap, staring at the ice trapped in the glass.

''He's probably worlds away by now.''

* * *

The Other had summoned the Chitauri immediately following Loki's words, and they gathered around the throne, their weapons drawn and aimed at the trickster.

But Loki was not afraid. His smile was wide and amused as he stepped down from the throne and stood before the Other. ''You have only summoned witness to your death,'' Loki breathed, and the Other took a step back and away from him.

Loki turned his back to the Other and threw his arms out to the army of Chitauri.

''You will all answer to me now!'' he stated, his voice carrying out over the crowd. He turned and pointed his staff at the Other. ''Look to your superior. He will serve as an example of your fate, are you to ever defy me.''

He paced slowly, tauntingly back over to the Other. With a wall of rock at his back, there was no place for the Other to run.

Loki brought his hand to the Other's cheek, the metal of the gauntlet bright against the sickly flesh.

''I was a king. You should have feared me. You should have known your place'' Loki said lowly, so only the Other could hear. ''In your last moments, you will know your rightful place.''

The skin beneath the gauntlet began to burn. The Other screeched, but the power of the gauntlet held him in place as his flesh continued to burn. Loki felt the power, felt the temptation to pull the trigger and end the Other's life in a second, but he suppressed it and drew out his death instead.

A few of the Chitauri rushed forward to help, but with only the slightest bit of concentration from Loki they collapsed and writhed and burned on the ground before they had even gotten near.

When the Other was dead and the entire crowd had gone silent in fear, Loki let what was left of the Other sag to the ground. He returned to the throne and perched on top of it, twirling his staff between his fingers.

''Prepare yourselves,'' he said finally, addressing the army. ''We shall return to Earth tonight. You will avenge your fallen brothers.''

* * *

Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Don't make the mistake of thinking this is the beginning of the end. I have many twists and turns for you yet. Please continue reading and reviewing!


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not own anything pertaining to The Avengers or any of its associations.

* * *

There was no Tesseract, no portal, no warning as the Chitauri suddenly appeared on Earth and started ravaging the land. The Avengers were quick to respond, but their numbers were too great.

Loki did not return with them. He chose to watch the beginning of the war from his throne, tucked safely worlds away. He tried to stay neutral in his observations, but often he found himself watching the fire-haired assassin rip her way through his army. As he watched her body twist and writhe in her battles, his mind would be drawn back to thoughts of her tangled beneath him on the bed.

By the time he returned to Earth, the Chitauri had overpowered the Avengers. He found them lined up on their knees on the roof of the Avengers tower, wrists bound at their backs by alien bindings. A mass of Chitauri soldiers surrounded them, watching their every move.

Their eyes narrowed when Loki appeared before them, pacing the room with his hands clasped behind his back.

''I rather like this view,'' he said with a malicious smile.

''You're not going to enjoy it for long,'' Clint growled angrily.

The blow from Loki's staff was instant, so sharp and fast that no one even saw him move. His face was neutral as he stopped and struck Clint across the face with the hilt, and he resumed his pacing as if nothing had happened.

Clint cried out in pain and toppled onto his front of the ground. He cursed into the gravel, and struggled back onto his knees.

''You are hardly in the position to threaten me now,'' Loki said with a condescending smirk.

''What do you intend to do with us?'' Steve demanded.

''Your city has fallen, the others will follow. When they have, that is when I will need you,'' Loki stated, pursing his lips slightly in amusement. ''Your final service to your fellow man. Your deaths will severe any last tendril of hope they so desperately cling to. It will be then that they accept me as their king, as their god.''

''You sought equality, not a throne,'' Thor said, drawing Loki's attention. ''You have me here on my knees before you, you have won. Is this not enough, brother?''

Loki huffed slightly, his face twisting in displeasure. ''It is much too late for that. Equality was too much to ask for then, you and father both made that perfectly clear. After all, how could a Frost Giant ever compare to Thor, son of _Odin_?''

He shook his head, his smile small and not reaching his eyes. ''That is not enough for me now.''

''Nothing will be enough for you,'' Natasha said. Loki turned to her, his gaze on her sharp. ''You don't even know what you want.''

The woman was worse for wear, her body bruised and bloody and broken in places. Her suit was ripped, and Loki hated the way his eyes lingered on the small slits of exposed flesh. He forced his eyes to hers, and was met with fire.

His smile was condescending, and he raised an eyebrow at her. ''What is it that I want, Agent Romanoff? You know me well. Tell me my motivations, I beg of you,'' he taunted, his eyes holding the challenge.

''You think you want to be worshiped. You think that it will make you feel superior to Thor, that it will make you feel better about being a Frost Giant,'' she said.

Loki's expression darkened. ''You wish tell me what I think?'' he demanded indignantly, raising his staff to strike her in anger.

''It's all about Thor and your father. That hasn't changed,'' she said calmly, unfazed by the threat of the coming blow. Loki froze. ''But you didn't lie when you said it wasn't about equality anymore. You've given up on that.''

Loki's arm faltered, and he lowered the staff back to the floor, his eyes narrow and guarded as he gazed down at the woman at his feet.

''You didn't know what you wanted two years ago, but your goal is the same,'' she stated. ''You want revenge. Thor loves Earth, and Odin loves Thor. You want Thor to feel the loss of this world like you felt the loss of yours when you found out you were a Frost Giant.''

Loki swallowed hard, and his heart skipped in his chest. He was quick to veil how her words unnerved him, and he forced a smile onto his lips. ''Your tongue is as silver as mine.''

''It's the truth,'' she replied calmly.

Loki would not give her the satisfaction. He dismissed her words, knowing they would come back to eat at him later, and changed the subject. ''You speak of truth, but what _truths_ did you have to spin about your escape from me?''

Natasha said nothing, her jaw flexing angrily beneath the fair skin of her cheek. The eyes of the others flickered to her, suspicious of her silence.

''Are you ashamed, Agent Romanoff? Does it burn you, the lengths you went to survive?'' Loki taunted.

Everyone looked to Loki then. Their eyes were questioning, their eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

Loki reached into his pocket and pulled out Natasha's broken bra. He tossed it on the floor in front of the Avengers, lips pursed as he awaited their reactions.

They were horrified, and they looked to Natasha. Their voices were frozen in their throats, but their eyes were disgusted and demanding. Her gaze fell to the floor, her tongue still behind her lips.

Satisfied with their reactions, Loki motioned for the guards to take them away, to the holding cells in the basement of the tower. Loki assumed they were meant to temporarily hold opponents of the Avengers, and he enjoyed the irony of the situation.

* * *

The cells were soundproof, but Natasha could swear she could hear Clint cursing in the cell beside her. She could not see him, as the walls were all solid and blindingly white, but she knew he was there. Perhaps it was just the echoes of his insults to her on the way to the holding cells that played back in her mind.

She sat on the bench facing the door, her eyes frozen and waiting for the man she knew would come. It seemed like hours that she did not move, but he did not fail her.

One of the Chitauri opened the door for him and he strode casually inside. He stopped at the center of the cell, and the door shut silently behind him. She expected him to have his trademark smirk on his face at her disposition, but his face was drawn tight and serious.

''Was I correct, Agent Romanoff?'' he asked her after a long moment.

''About what?'' she asked, shifting slightly in her seat. Her pose was dismissive, but her body was tense behind the casual facade.

''Do not be coy,'' he sneered. ''It does not suit you.''

Natasha's eyes narrowed at him, and she made him wait for an answer as she drew slowly to her feet. He shifted slightly, and she wondered if it was her movement that made him uncomfortable or his anticipation of her answer.

''You were,'' she said finally, flatly. The words tasted like a lie on her tongue, and she finally had the answer for herself. She knew her actions in the room with Loki had been real and not just a means for escape, and her heart sank heavily in her chest.

She quickly masked her own surprise and the pain that her lie now had brought her, and aimed to hurt Loki. She'd been through hell with the Chitauri, and she would have to face the consequences of his revelation to her fellow Avengers.

Loki turned sharply away from her, but not before she saw a glimpse of disappointment on his expression. Just before he reached the door he stopped, and turned his head slightly to the side to address her.

''My offer still stands,'' he said to her.

Her eyes widened in surprise, before narrowing at his back. ''I won't join you.''

He turned toward her again, and in a few long, quick strides he was in front of her, standing dangerously close. ''You would refuse me again? Do you not see what I have done? Do you not see that you have lost?''

''It's not over yet,'' she said, her voice unwavering.

Loki moved forward, forcing Natasha back, and he kept up his advance until she was pressed against the back wall. He slammed his open hand against the wall in anger, and the sound was sharp and jarring. Natasha's heart jumped to her throat, and Loki fed off of her fear.

''You and your precious Avengers are finished!'' he shouted at her. ''Instead of joining me, you choose to rot here in this cell clinging to whatever small tendril of hope of victory that you have? I am giving you a chance to join the winning side, you mewling quim!''

''But that's where you're wrong,'' she responded, her voice calm even in the face of his anger and his insults. ''You're not the winning side.''

Loki jerked away from her in surprise, and his long legs brought him to the door in an instant.

''You know that your victory will be empty, and that's why you will never win,'' she called after him. ''Maybe it will be us who defeats you. Maybe you will be the one to defeat yourself. No matter how it happens, that will be the result of everything you have done and everything you will ever do.''

Loki swallowed hard, the truth of her words ringing in his ears. He paused for a moment, as if to respond, but when words failed him he pulled open the door and disappeared.

* * *

Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please keep reading and reviewing!


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I do not own anything pertaining to The Avengers or any of its associations.

* * *

Loki returned again that night.

Natasha was laying on the small bench in the cell staring up at the ceiling when he entered. She did not turn her head toward him, but he saw the flicker of her eyes in his direction. ''What do you want?''

Loki's responding silence unnerved her, and she slowly sat up to face him. He leaned his back against the door until it closed, and he did not move away from the wall even after the small click of the lock sounded.

''The Chitauri have taken another city,'' he said finally.

A tremor of fear coursed through Natasha. ''And you came here to what? To rub it in my face?''

Loki's expression was cold and hard, and he swallowed the lump that built in his throat. ''I do not know if you were right about me, Agent Romanoff.''

She shrugged her shoulder dismissively. ''That's something you have to learn for yourself.''

''I fear you are,'' he admitted softly. His head hung lowly, and his face was open and vulnerable when he gazed up at her. ''I fear that every city will fall before me, and that even in the peak of my victory I will not feel better.''

''Then stop, Loki,'' Natasha said, standing slowly from her seat. ''Just stop. It's as simple as that.''

''It is not as simple as that!'' he snapped at her, his anger sudden and bright and burning. She cowered slightly, but did not stand down. He calmed immediately, his eyes cool and wide and very human in that moment. ''Persuade me.''

Natasha moved slowly toward Loki, her mind working frantically, knowing she could not screw up this opportunity. But she suddenly stopped, angry at herself that her mind had immediately started spinning lies in her head, manipulations to take advantage of Loki's weak moment. Instead, she opted for honestly.

''I was raised in a Russian facility called the Red Room,'' she began, and her hands clenched into fists involuntarily at her sides just from saying the name aloud. ''My parents died when I was young, and I was recruited to take part in the Black Widow program from the orphanage I was placed in. My body was altered, and I was trained to use it in any way necessary to complete a mission. I was a weapon, a chess piece, never a person. It was only after I joined S.H.I.E.L.D. that I looked back and saw all the horrible things they did to me, all the horrible things they made me do.''

She sighed, and her eyes fell to the ground. ''Maybe S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't much better, but it's helped me fill in part of that gaping hole in myself that the Red Room took from me.''

She looked back up at Loki, and he was watching her intently, his eyebrows furrowed as he listened to her story. ''Finding out that you were a Frost Giant put you on the same angry, empty path that I had been on in Russia. If you continue down it, you will continue to be angry and empty, and never anything more.''

When Natasha finished, she waited for Loki to speak. After a long moment, he drew away from the door and stepped slowly across the room to stand before her.

''You misunderstood me,'' he said lowly. ''I already know you are the same as me, Agent Romanoff. Your silver tongue gave you away.'' Natasha did not move away as he reached up and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

His eyes were locked on hers, heated and intense and glazed over slightly with unshed tears. His face was achingly close to hers, and Natasha felt the mood suddenly shift.

''Then what do you want from me?'' she asked breathlessly.

''I already asked it of you,'' he drawled softly, leaning close, his breath cool and fast against her face. ''_Persuade_ me.''

* * *

Despite his words, Loki ended up persuading himself. The second their lips connected he had her pressed up against the back wall of the cell. His hands danced over her clothes furiously, tearing at the fabric to bear her skin. He did not even bother with his own, only unfastened his pants and shoved himself inside of her.

He swallowed her cries, and ignored her hands as she hit at him in anger. After a while, when the pain lessened and her cries turned to moans, her hands fumbled over his jacket, fighting instead to remove his clothes. He pushed her hands aside, annoyed by her efforts, and out of spite she bit his lip and drew blood.

He hissed against her lips, and pulled back from her. She gasped in shock at the sudden abandonment, but it did not last long. He grabbed her arm roughly and spun her around, before pressing her forward into the wall and continuing his invasive assault on her body. The new position let him go deeper, and without his lips to stifle her cries the sound of her pleasure echoed off of the walls around them.

It was not long after that his own, final moan spilled from his lips, and they came together. They stayed like that for a while afterwards, with Natasha pressed between the cool white wall and the icy chest of the Frost Giant at her back.

Loki's breath against her neck cooled her burning body, and before he moved away he pressed a soft kiss to the soft skin behind her ear. He kept a hold on her arm when he detached himself from her, and when her legs gave out beneath her he pulled her gently into his arms and carried her back to the bench.

He laid her down carefully, and her beautiful eyes were wide and glazed over slightly as she looked up at him. He sat down on the bench beside her, and he ran his fingers softly through her hair as he gazed down at her.

She seemed to be waiting for him to say something, and his fingers stilled in her hair.

''I still do not know if you are manipulating me,'' he admitted in a whisper, and his eyes searched her face. ''But I will fix what I have done.''

Her eyes welled with tears at his words, and he leaned down to kiss her.

Just before his mouth could press to hers, the Avengers tower suddenly rumbled and trembled. The force of it nearly dislodged Loki from his seat, the source of the strike dangerously close, and he was up the next moment and moving for the door. Natasha was at his heels not even a second later.

The Chitauri outside of the door screamed, and Loki raised the gauntlet just in time to block him and Natasha from a rain of debris as the wall before them exploded. Natasha coughed from the amount of dust and smoke that the explosion produced, and Loki cast a concerned glance back at her.

When he looked forward again, Thanos stood where the debris had settled.

* * *

''You thought those chains would hold me?'' Thanos rumbled. ''They were made for a weaker man than me!''

Loki winced at the words, but he did not respond, only turned the gauntlet on the alien. It was then that he noticed the alien's attention had turned from him to the woman behind him, and Loki's attention swayed as well.

Natasha was on the ground, her body coiled in pain as she continued to cough into the back of her hand. Loki could smell it now, the gas that was mixed in the air with the smoke and dust from the explosion.

Loki trained his ears for the source of the gas, and saw it was coming from small pores in the ceiling of the cell. He knew it must have been a defense mechanism Tony Stark had installed were a criminal to decide to attempt to break out, much like the one in the helicarrier.

Loki was suddenly assaulted with pain as Thanos dragged the gauntlet from his hand. The fitted metal cut and scraped as it was wrenched away, and when Loki moved to cradle his hand against his chest, it was a mess of blood and flesh.

The gauntlet expanded, and Thanos slipped his hand inside. Loki ducked just in time to avoid the responding blast, and moved his body to cover Natasha's. The force of the blast took out the walls around them, exposing the inhabitants of the other cells.

Clint and Steve collapsed when the gas assaulted their lungs, but Tony covered his face in time and used the corner of his shirt like a mask to keep from inhaling it. The second the gas touched Bruce's lungs, Hulk took his place to protect him. Thor, much like Loki, was unaffected by the gas.

Thanos looked around at them all, an amused smile on his lips. ''The human world is crumbling under the Chitauri. I seek a more satisfying victory now.''

He looked to Loki, and pointed the hand without the gauntlet at him. ''False prince of Asgard, I will let you live. To end you now would be too sweet a fate for you. You yearn for the home you thought you lost, but you will know true loss when I finish with Asgard.''

With that, Thanos disappeared.

Loki's eyes were wide as he stared at the vacant space where Thanos had been. He swallowed hard and drew slowly to his feet, pulling Natasha up with him and into his arms. He looked to Thor, who held the same horrified expression as he did.

''To Asgard?'' Tony suggested with mock enthusiasm, his voice muffled from his shirt.

Hulk gathered Steve and Clint into his arms, and Thor looked to Loki.

''You are with us, brother?'' Thor asked, his tone weary and guarded.

''I am with you,'' Loki said softly.

''And the gauntlet?'' Tony asked.

Loki looked down at Natasha in his arms for a long moment, his eyes hooded and sad. ''I do not want it.''

Thor nodded, satisfied with the answer. He moved along with the others to stand by Loki's side, and Thor clasped his hand on his brother's shoulder.

''To Asgard.''

* * *

Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please keep reading and reviewing!


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I do not own anything pertaining to The Avengers or any of its associations.

* * *

They were pulled into Asgard immediately after Thor had spoken the words. Odin must have been watching. The transportation was easy for the Asgardians, but the others did not fair as well. Hulk dropped Steve and Clint to the ground and transformed back into Bruce, all of his anger replaced by an overwhelming nausea. Tony scrambled across the floor to hurl into a decorative vase.

They were in the throne room of Asgard, and Odin was perched in his throne a few feet away from them. Heimdall and Frigga stood at his sides, with Sif and the Warriors Three at his back.

On the floor at the base of the throne Steve and Clint gasped, the clean air chasing away the crippling gas from their lungs. Natasha stirred in Loki's arms, and a recovered Tony took her from him with a glare.

Loki was seized immediately after Natasha was taken away, and he hissed through gritted teeth as his arms were forcibly bound behind his back and he was pressed down roughly onto his knees on the floor.

They could hear battles raging outside of the walls of the palace, and they knew Thanos must not have entered Asgard alone.

''Guards, take Loki away,'' Odin commanded, and the men at Loki's back seized his arms and lifted him onto his feet. ''A war has been brought upon us, and he will cause nothing but trouble.''

Loki's eyes widened in horror. ''Father-!''

Odin's face remained blank as he waved one of the guards toward Loki. Loki struggled when the guard produced the muzzle he had worn during his imprisonment.

''Father-!'' Loki started again, pleading now, but Odin did not relent.

The guards held Loki tightly as the muzzle was forced upon him. Loki felt all eyes on him, but he had eyes only for Natasha. He found she was recovered and on her feet beside Tony, and when he saw her eyes wide in shock at his state he looked to the floor in embarrassment.

''Father, he means to help us-'' Thor protested, stepping forward.

''Look at what he has done! At what he has brought upon us!'' Odin snapped at him, standing angrily from his throne. Frigga placed a hand on his arm to calm him but he knocked it away.

Odin took a deep breath, and looked to Thor. ''Now, come. We must once again account for Loki's failures.''

* * *

They fought for hours, until the Chitauri fell and retreated. There was no place for them to run in Asgard, but Thanos left portals open that the Avengers and the Asgardians dared not follow them into.

Thanos himself was nowhere to be found, and they took advantage of his absence to rest. Natasha figured he was watching from afar, gauging the strength of his opponents before he attacked. Asgardians, after all, were a much more formidable opponent than humans or the Chitauri.

They sat in front of a large table, piled high with food. All of the men ate heartily, but Natasha only picked at her food as she found herself distracted by thoughts of Loki. When the others were bloated from food and babbled by alcohol, Natasha slipped away in search of the fallen god.

Just as she reached the end of the hallway, a voice called her back. ''That would not be advised, Lady Romanoff.''

She turned around to find a female warrior to be the source of the statement. Natasha sighed. ''You're Sif?''

The woman nodded sharply. ''If you think to free the prisoner, I will have to stop you.''

Natasha shook her head, her lips pressed into a hard line. ''It wouldn't be my place to free him.''

''Then what were your intentions?'' Sif asked, stepping towards her with a raised eyebrow.

''That's none of your business,'' Natasha said, getting annoyed now. She turned her back to the Asgardian and continued on her way from the hall.

''If it's to kill him, I will gladly lend you my sword.''

Natasha did not turn back, her jaw clenching in anger as she forced herself forward.

''You're not worth my time. The guards will stop you anyway,'' she heard Sif say before turning herself and returning to the feast.

A smirk twitched at Natasha's lips at her words.

''I doubt that.''

* * *

It did not take her long to find Loki. Most would have been confused by the intricate labyrinth of hallways, but Natasha had been trained for such things. She found the passageway down into the depths of the palace where she figured the fallen prince would be located, and ghosted through the corridors silently. She made quickly to her destination, not counting on Sif to underestimate her and leave her alone for long to venture the palace.

The guards at the door of his cell had been easy enough to surpass. They were Asgardian, but they were still men. They were fooled by her seemingly innocent demeanor, and she had taken them down in mere seconds. She was careful not to harm them, using pressure points instead of force to detain them. She grunted as she leaned both of their limp, unconscious bodies against the opposing wall and snaked from them the keys to the cell.

She let herself inside, leaving it open so the light from the torches in the hallway would illuminate the contents of the cell. The air was musty and damp, and she inched slowly toward the dimly lit figure across the room from her.

''Loki?''

She breathed the question, though she knew it was him. It was the only cell in the depths of the palace, made for him she was sure. He did not move when she spoke his name, and when she reached him she went to her knees before him.

Loki's hands rested limply in his lap, though her eyes traced chains back to the wall above his head. The muzzle was still securely in place, and she figured it must be magically sealed there or he'd have removed it.

Natasha moved to touch his face but he suddenly sprang to life, jerking away from her hand as much as the chains would allow.

Her heart jumped in her chest and her eyes narrowed at him angrily. ''I'm not here to mock you.''

He turned his face towards her, his eyes narrowing at hers in turn, his expression distrustful.

''I just wanted to see you,'' she said, answering his silent question.

Loki scoffed and rolled his eyes, the sound escaping from the muzzle though words could not.

Natasha slapped him then. It was sudden and sharp, and when Loki raised his face back to look at her his eyes were wide.

''You said you were with us. Is that still true?'' she demanded of him.

He was angry that she had slapped him, she could see the fire raging behind his eyes, and his chest rose and fell rapidly beneath his armor. But still he answered her with a sharp and solitary nod.

''Then it doesn't matter if you believe me or not. Don't be an ass,'' she said lowly. Loki sighed heavily in response, but his expression softened. She reached up to touch his face again, and once more he pulled away.

Frustrated, Natasha ignored his displeasure as she forced herself upon him, her fingers slipping behind his head and pulling at his hair. She closed her eyes and leaned forward, pressing her mouth to the muzzle. Loki's entire body tensed beneath her hands.

She lingered there, the cold of the metal reminding her of the cold of Loki's lips. When she finally opened her eyes and pulled away, Loki was looking at her with a mixture of disgust and surprise on his expression.

Suddenly the ground beneath them trembled, and Natasha knew the final battle had begun. She looked to Loki, whose expression had turned defeated, and she leaned forward again.

This time Loki did not pull away when she brushed a kiss to the metal between their lips, before she stood and moved for the door.

Loki blinked in surprise, finding his hand outstretched after her. She did not notice, her mind turned to battle, even when the chain sounded in protest of the action. Of course, given the restraints, Loki's hand fell short of its target and she was gone not a moment after.

Loki let his arm fall back to his lap and stared down at his hands. His mind had never registered the action, to try to stop her, but something had made him do so. He swallowed hard, and sat silently in the darkness. All he could do was hope it had not been foreshadowing of the events soon to unfold.

* * *

Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review!


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I do not own anything pertaining to The Avengers or any of its associations.

* * *

When Natasha found the others, they were all gathered in the throne room. There was a smell about the room, trickling in from outside of the palace, of burning flesh and death. Odin stood before his throne alone, Frigga sheltered somewhere safe until the battle was over, his face drawn and weary.

''Thanos approaches. He is not alone,'' Odin announced. ''Ready yourselves for battle.''

His words sent a tremor of fear through the Avengers and the Asgardians around. But there was no time to be afraid, as the doors behind them burst the next moment and revealed Thanos in the doorway, a swarm of Chitauri at his back.

The Avengers turned to face them, standing shoulder to shoulder, an unwavering wall of power.

''Stand aside, young warriors,'' Odin commanded. ''I shall face Thanos alone. Take care of his comrades.''

Thor turned in protest. ''Father, you are not the young man that brought Jotunheim to its knees. Let us-''

''Stand aside, my son,'' Odin repeated, the authority in his voice leaving no room for question. They all parted to each to let him pass as he descended the throne, Thor albeit hesitantly.

Thanos smiled wickedly as he stepped forward as well. ''You are Odin. The Allfather. Great men have fallen at your feet. You will fall at mine.''

Odin was not amused, much as the alien was. ''You came into my kingdom and brought death to my people. You have made enemy with Asgard, and with the people of Asgard. You will not walk away from this battle.''

''Large words for such a small king,'' Thanos taunted.

''Your power is borrowed,'' Odin stated. ''I will show you what true power is, rightfully earned.''

''You are old and weak, and so is your power,'' Thanos growled, angered by Odin's declaration.

''We are done with words, Thanos. Let us end this now,'' Odin commanded, raising his staff.

Thanos raised his gauntlet in return, a cruel smile twisting on his lips. His other hand ushered the Chitauri at his back forward, and they flooded into the room.

They immediately engaged in battle with the Avengers and Sif and the Warriors Three.

Natasha tried to watch the battle between Odin and Thanos, but the stream of Chitauri that leaked through the front doors had no end. She took out a Chitauri with each bullet, and when her clips were empty she tossed her guns aside and went in for hand to hand combat. It was her specialty, after all.

Clint stood on Odin's throne, the highest point he could get to before the Chitauri reached him. He fired down at where they swarmed at his feet, but one Chitauri wrapped his hand around Clint's ankle and pulled it out from under him. He went down quickly, his back cracking against the top of the throne as he tumbled to the ground.

''Clint!'' Natasha cried, just as she was grabbed herself and thrown across the floor.

Just as the Chitauri went in for the kill, Steve was there with his shield, defending Clint's writhing body on the ground. Clint stood with difficulty, and put his back to Steve's as they continued their battles with the Chitauri.

Natasha rolled over the floor and to her feet, but she landed right in the hands of the Chitauri. The grip on her arms was iron, and she threw her head back to connect with alien flesh. The Chitauri lurched back in pain, and she used its momentary distraction to slip from its grip. She twisted her body around until she was behind the Chitauri, and ripped out the flesh of its neck with her bare fingers.

She felt the tip of one of their guns press to the small of her back the next moment and she froze. She could feel the tension as the Chitauri started to pull the trigger, but the blow never came.

The Chitauri was struck down by a blast from Tony, and he landed his suit beside Natasha. ''Are you alright?'' he asked her. She nodded, just as another swarm of Chitauri engaged them in a fight.

On the other side of the room, Hulk and Thor were ripping their way through the Chitauri. Hulk was making a game of it, playing baseball with Thor and with the Chitauri as the ball. When Hulk pitched, Thor swung his hammer, splintering the alien heads to little bits across the floor.

Sif and the Warriers three were not far away, fighting the Chitauri with the skill and precision of those who had seen many battlefields together.

When the stream of Chitauri broke for a moment, they all turned their attention to the battle at the center of the room. Their breaths choked in their throats at what they saw.

A beaten and bloody Odin was on his knee on the floor before Thanos. The alien was grinning from ear to ear, and it widened with the sound of Odin's pained gasps. Thanos took a step toward Odin and winced slightly from the pain of his own injuries, but his smile did not falter.

Natasha looked around the room with wide eyes, looking for someone to give her a sign to attack, but everyone was still. Something about seeing this powerful man fallen to Thanos had their feet frozen to the floor.

Her eyes sought out each of them, but they failed to find Thor. The God of Thunder was gone, the only hope Natasha had of someone willing to stand up to Thanos. Besides herself.

* * *

Natasha moved forward, breaking the still of the room. Thanos looked to her, his expression unchanged. Tony's eyes widened and he reached to stop her, but she pulled her arm away and crossed the room.

She moved to stand in front of Odin, blocking him from Thanos.

''The King of Gods has fallen by my hand. Yet you stand here before me as if you will be my end,'' Thanos said, bemused.

''Many have underestimated me,'' she said. ''They are all dead.''

''You threaten like a man,'' he said. ''Can you fight like one?'' Thanos struck her then, so quickly that she had not even seen it coming. She tumbled to the side, and her momentum rolled her across the floor. She stuck out her leg to catch herself, and she stayed on her hands and knees to catch her breath.

''Tasha!'' Tony cried, and the others started forward.

Thanos held out his hand with the gauntlet, and they stopped in their tracks. They looked out in desperation, struggling to move forward but failing. ''No interference,'' Thanos said. ''I will make this quick.''

He took a step toward her and she struggled to her feet. When he took another, she raised her arm, and fired from her wrist bracelets. Thanos cried out in surprise and lurched back.

She advanced quickly, and ran full out towards Thanos. She skidded on her side between his legs, and came to her feet at his back. Thanos was a large man, and before he could turn around she was on his back.

He growled in anger, and reached for her with the gauntlet. She twisted out of his reach and slipped a knife from its holster on her thigh. She stabbed it into the thick purple flesh of his neck with all of her strength, before he grabbed her with his other hands and ripped her off of himself.

As he did she kept a grip on the knife, and she drug it through. When he pulled her free, he tossed her down on the floor, and her body made a sickening crack against the tiles. She groaned and rolled away, just in time to avoid his foot come down to crush her skull.

She stopped on her stomach before Odin, and struggled onto her hands and knees. But Thanos was there the next moment, and though he was wearied by her wound to him, his anger trumped his pain.

He struck her back to the floor, and she cried out in pain. She could hear the others around her, crying out for her, pleading with Thanos to let her live. But Thanos did not relent, and he struck her down again when she managed to get back up. He continued his assault until her arms gave out beneath her, and her vision was edging black.

She laid in a pool of her own blood and waited for the final blow to come. With the last of her strength, she rolled onto her side to watch.

As Thanos brought the gauntlet down to her, it seemed to pass in slow motion.

She thought back to all the lives she had taken for Russia, knowing the blood she had spilled could fill the room of the floor she laid on now. She thought back to her time with S.H.I.E.L.D. and Nick Fury, and the people she had killed for America. Perhaps this was how she was meant to clean her ledger, to die fighting the good fight.

It was only when she thought back on the Avengers that she felt for only a glimpse of a moment that she did not deserve to die. She thought of Steve's optimism, of Bruce's wisdom, of Thor's strength, of Tony's sarcasm, and of Clint's heart. She closed her eyes, feeling the tears brimming on her lashes.

But in her last moment she thought of Loki. And suddenly the fear for her own life was replaced with fear for his. If they stopped Thanos, what would become of him? Would he rot in that cell for the rest of days? Or would someone else come along and be to him what she had meant to be, his savior?

When Natasha was sure she should have felt the iron grip of the gauntlet, it did not come. A chorus of gasps sounded the next moment from everyone around, and Natasha's eyes opened in surprise.

Loki stood before her, his hands at fists at his sides, his body tall and strong and unwavering. Natasha's heart leapt in her chest, but when the smell of burning flesh reached her the next moment, it fell again.

Thanos had the metal of the gauntlet pressed against Loki's chest. His smile was wicked, victorious as Loki fell to his knees. The realization struck her then, of the truth of his arrival.

Loki had not come to save her. He had come to die for her.

* * *

Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review!


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I do not own anything pertaining to The Avengers or any of its associations.

* * *

When Loki fell to his hands and knees, Thanos turned away. Loki's scepter clanged loudly against the cold tile of the floor, and he gasped for a breath that would not come. The burning seeped from his chest through the rest of his body, reaching every extension of himself, destroying everything in its path. It was a slow process, and Thanos meant it to be.

Vaguely, he heard Thor cry out to him, frozen on the sidelines with the others. He swore he even heard a gasp from his father's lips of sorrow for his fallen son.

Eventually he fell to his side, unable to hold his body up any longer. Thanos laughed, but it sounded clouded and distant.

Loki felt a hand on his body, and its warmth was a nice welcome from the burning. The fingers fumbled, weak and bloody against his side, and a few moments later their owner was hovering above him.

Natasha could barely hold herself up but she managed, and Loki did not flinch from the feel of her blood dripping down onto him beneath her. She reached a hand up and tucked a stray raven lock of hair behind his ear.

''Why?'' she demanded of him. She was sweating, her whole body trembling, but Loki could not help but think she was beautiful.

Loki did not answer her. His teeth gritted as the pain escalated, his eyes narrowing but refusing to close and lose sight of the woman above him.

''Loki-''

''Was it true?'' he gasped. Natasha frowned at him, not understanding. His eyes winced in pain, but he spoke past it. ''Did you sleep with me to escape, Agent Romanoff? Was everything a manipulation? A lie?'' he asked her, his eyes welling with tears. She didn't know if they were from pain or his anticipation of her answer.

Her own tears spilled over and fell down his cheeks.

''No.''

Loki's responding smile was quick, but it met his eyes for that small moment before they closed and he was gone.

* * *

Thanos released his grip on the others, and around Natasha and the fallen Asgardian prince the battle resumed. Thanos initially moved to finish off Odin, but Thor took him on instead. It was lost on no one that the war had been over long before, when Odin had fallen, but still they fought on.

Natasha stayed with Loki, her silent tears turned to outright sobs, the sound lost in the noise around her.

''Stand back, Lady Romanoff.''

Natasha looked to the sound of the voice, to Odin a few feet away. ''What?''

''Move away from him.''

Natasha moved back hesitantly, and wiped her face on her sleeve. She thought Odin meant to help him, but the man did not move. Her eyes flickered back to Loki, who was still and lifeless on the floor.

She reached to touch him again, but something made her stop.

She could not see it, but she could feel the air change around Loki. It swiveled and churned just above him, before it dove straight into his chest with the ferocity of a windstorm.

Loki gasped in a sharp breath, his eyes flying open. Natasha choked back a sob at the sight, and watched silently as he sat up and looked at his hands. He could feel it, his magic returned, his body healed from the torture Thanos had wrought on it.

The gasps made Thanos turn, Thor beaten and discarded on the floor a few feet away.

''You should not live,'' Thanos rumbled.

''My death was a human death,'' Loki said, slowly getting to his feet. ''I am a god.''

''A spoiled brat god who will meet the same fate twice!'' Thanos roared.

''I am not the same man,'' Loki said, and Natasha knew his words were meant more for his father than for Thanos. ''I will not share the same fate.''

She looked back at Odin, whose eye was brimming with a tear, before she returned her gaze to Loki.

He grasped the handle of his scepter in his hand, his knuckles white against the metal. Thanos ran for him, swinging his hand with the gauntlet toward the mischief maker. Natasha felt a smile twitch at her lips when his hand passed right through, and the projection spotted and disappeared.

Sif and the Warriors Three ran forward to help Odin away from the line of battle, and Tony and Steve lifted up Natasha and carried her to the sidelines. The few Chitauri left in the room were standing there silently watching, wanting to see the outcome of the battle as well.

''You were amazing!'' Steve whispered in her ear, his hands falling away as Tony supported her on her feet.

''Stupid,'' Tony corrected him sharply. ''Not amazing.''

Natasha ignored them, her eyes refusing to leave the scene playing out before her.

Thanos stumbled again, and a blast from Loki's scepter sent him to his knees. A cheer erupted around, from the Asgardians, and Loki looked to them, his expression stunned. But he quickly returned his attention back to Thanos, who was rising from the ground.

Thanos sent a blast from the gauntlet toward him, and he dove out of the way. The edge of it caught Loki's shoulder, and when he rose from the floor smoke was rising from the wound and he let out a hiss of pain.

Thanos approached and Loki blasted him again with the scepter, and again when he did not relent. He lifted Loki and tossed him across the room, and the god tumbled across the floor, his scepter clattering noisily away and out of sight.

When Thanos made his way toward Loki, it was clear this time it would be the last. Loki rose slowly to his feet as Thanos drew near, the gauntlet raised to strike. He did not move for his scepter, or cower away as most would with no weapon in the face of such power, just stood there waiting calmly for the alien to reach him.

Thanos chuckled confidently, his hand going for Loki's throat.

In the final moment, blue crawled over Loki's skin, and his eyes flashed a bloody red. Thanos had no time to react, before ice covered Loki's right hand like a dagger, and he stabbed it through the alien's heart.

Thanos gasped and fell to his knees. Blood trickled from his lips, and his eyes were wide as he gazed at Loki. Loki pulled his hand free, and Thanos fell to the floor, his body twitching as death sought to take him.

The ice melted away from Loki's hand, and his skin returned to normal. His expression was unchanged, calm and serious and stoic as he turned his back to Thanos and approached Odin.

He knelt down before him, and between them lay Odin's staff on the tile. The same staff that Loki had held when he took Odin's place as king, the one he had used to end Laufey's life.

''May I?'' Loki asked, and just the slightest bit of fear made its way onto his face, of his father's rejection.

''I see no one more fit to wield it in this moment,'' Odin stated, and though he was hurt and weak his voice was still strong.

Loki's eyes widened in surprise, and the tears were instant in his eyes. But he blinked them away, as it was not the time for such things. He carefully lifted the staff up into his hands, marveling at the feeling of it for just a moment before turning to the fallen Thanos.

He slowly approached the alien, still gasping and bleeding and dying on the floor. He spoke no words, only aimed the top of the staff toward him and fired. His body did not even shudder under the blow, turning to nothingness instead.

Only the gauntlet remained on the floor, and Loki slowly approached it. The room was dead silent as he reached down and lifted it into his hands. He looked at it for a long moment, and Natasha held her breath as she watched him.

Loki turned around slowly and knelt down before his father. He placed the scepter on the ground with the gauntlet, and rose to his feet.

''I believe this is another relic for the weapons vault,'' Loki said, his voice betraying nothing as he stared down at Odin.

Odin nodded slowly, gazing up at his son.

''I will not join it,'' Loki said, and this time his words trembled.

''Of course not,'' Odin said, nodding again, and the tear is his eye finally spilled over. He slowly reached forward and claimed his staff from the floor, before using it to get to his feet. Loki said nothing, just watched wearily until the king stood tall and solid in front of him. ''That would be a silly place for a prince.''

* * *

Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Sorry for playing with the heartstrings... Please review!


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I do not own anything pertaining to The Avengers or any of its associations.

* * *

The Chitauri retreated quickly after that, disappearing into the portals Thanos had created while they were still open. Odin would use the gauntlet later to close them and to free Midgard of them as well. But for the moment they reveled in their impossible victory.

Everyone in the room crowded around Loki, clapping him on the shoulder and marveling in his victory. Natasha stayed back, on the side, and watched silently. Loki's face was alight, a true smile on his face that she had not seen before.

His eyes flickered over everyone, his smile faltering when he failed to find the face he sought. He looked around the room, and when his eyes met with Natasha's his smile returned in all of its glory.

''You have won, my brother,'' Thor beamed, his arm going around his brother's shoulder and shaking him. He was glowing with pride.

Loki pursed his lips slightly as he gazed at Natasha across the room. ''Does this mean I can claim my prize?''

Thor frowned slightly in confusion. ''Prize...?''

But Loki gave him a brotherly squeeze and moved away from him, to Natasha. She frowned at him as he approached her. ''Prize? I'm not a-''

Loki pressed his mouth to hers, cutting her words short and eliciting whistles from the crowd. She started to move back but he held her in place, and it took only a moment for her to melt into his kiss and apply the pressure back. He ate at her mouth, and she gasped against his lips.

When he finally moved away and gazed down at her, his hands were gentle as they brushed her hair back from her face. ''When I saw you on the floor I thought you dead,'' he said, his face serious and guarded.

''You saved me,'' she said softly.

His smile was quick, wavering and bitter on his lips. ''You are mistaken if you think that I was the one to save you.''

Loki leaned down and pressed a kiss to her lips, and this time it was soft and sweet and gentle.

Loki was pulled away a short few moments later by Thor and the others, to talk more of the battle. Natasha watched him for a few moments, before a movement across the room caught her attention.

* * *

Natasha moved away, to Odin, who sat alone on his throne. He looked to her. ''You have a question for me, Lady Romanoff?''

She nodded slowly. ''Should I bow, or...?''

''If there should be any bowing, perhaps it should be I to you,'' Odin said. ''You saved my son.''

Natasha said nothing for a moment, surprised by his words.

''You stepped in front of a man who sought to bring the world to an end, yet you hesitate now. It does not suit you,'' he commented with a small smile.

Natasha swallowed hard. ''From what Thor said about his own banishment, it was the same trial for Loki that you gave Thor. But when Loki saved me and his powers returned, you seemed surprised.''

''I thought my son lost, Lady Romanoff. Not to death, but to himself,'' Odin admitted. ''I placed the same conditions, but I did not think Loki would meet them as Thor did.''

''That lack of faith is the problem that started all of this,'' Natasha commented. ''If you treated him as you treated Thor, it would never have come to this.''

Odin's head fell slightly in acknowledgment. ''Perhaps you are right. I will not make that mistake again.''

Natasha felt cold hands slip onto her shoulders from behind, and she turned her head slightly to see Loki behind her. His eyes were heavy lidded when he pressed his mouth to her ear. ''Your words are ice, Agent Romanoff. Save them for one who is made of it,'' he said teasingly, but his voice held an edge of warning.

She frowned at him, but said nothing. The two men shared a glance, and Natasha knew it was time to take her leave and let father and son talk. She reached up and took Loki's hand on her shoulder, before giving it a small squeeze and slipping away. His fingers lingered for a long second before letting her go.

She joined the others, but her mind was still with Loki. When she braved a glance over, she saw Odin pulling Loki into a hug and she felt tears sting at her eyes. When she saw Loki's shoulders trembling beneath his father's arms, the tears spilled over and down her cheeks.

She turned away and wiped them hastily aside. When she looked at her hands, they were wet with blood.

Tony turned to her, and she looked up to meet his gaze. His eyes flickered over her shoulder a moment, to Loki before returning. ''So that's really happening?''

Natasha said nothing, just pressed her mouth into a hard line.

Tony shrugged. ''I would say be careful, but I feel like that warning should be for him and not for you.''

Natasha socked him in the shoulder, and he feigned pain before an arrogant smile slowly spread on his lips. The others turned to them as well, and Natasha flashed them a weak smile.

Odin and Loki joined them a few moments later. Odin stopped to pick up the gauntlet, and he turned it over in his hands. ''It is time for us to return to Midgard. Your realm still needs saving,'' Odin stated, looking to each of the Avengers in turn.

They all nodded, and as they readied to leave, Odin turned to Loki and Natasha. ''You are not needed. Lady Romanoff needs her wounds tended to, and my son deserves some much needed rest.''

Natasha and Loki looked to each other in surprise, then to the others, waiting for their protests. But they just waved goodbye, and vanished with Odin not a moment later. Sif and the Warriors Three remained behind, and after a short goodbye they made their way to their own chambers to rest.

Loki looked to Natasha, his eyes fluttering over her body, covered in bruises and blood. He held out his arm to her, and she hesitantly took it, before making slow progress toward his room.

* * *

It was not a short distance to cross, the palace a massive place, and about halfway to their destination Natasha's wounds caught up to her and Loki caught her as her body gave out.

Loki lifted her into his arms, and her fingers clasped the lapels of his coat tightly as she rested her head on his shoulder. Her lack of protest made it clear that she was hurting, and Loki's long legs took them quickly to his room.

A few other Asgardians caught up to them in the hallway, a tray of medical equipment in their hands. When Loki set her down on his bed, the doctors made to help her but he ordered the men away.

When the door closed behind them, Natasha turned her head toward Loki. He sat down on the edge of the bed beside her, a bowl of water and cloth in his lap. He started to clean the wounds on her face and neck, and she winced when his fingers probed the superficial wounds. ''Some of these are nearly healed,'' he commented.

Natasha nodded. ''One of the perks of being raised in an underground Russian facility.''

Loki's lips pursed slightly but he did not comment. He applied bandages to the wounds in silence, before waving his hand brusquely over her body. Her jumpsuit disappeared, and her body coiled slightly in response to the sudden exposure. Loki chuckled lightly, and her breath hissed past clenched teeth.

As Loki set to work on her freshly exposed wounds, Natasha gradually relaxed.

''Where did you learn this?'' she asked him, watching his hands move expertly over her body.

A small smile formed on his lips, and his sigh was reminiscent. ''Thor was often reckless on the battlefield. Though we heal much more rapidly than your kind, medical attention was required for the more serious wounds. I fought beside him and the others, but I found I was often more useful on the sidelines of his battles.''

Loki finished tending her wounds in silence. When he finished, his elegant hands smoothed over her stomach and her legs, careful of the freshly bandaged wounds. When he looked up to meet her eyes, they were glazed over slightly, and he felt his heart jump in his chest.

''You are wounded,'' he said to her in protest, his face gone serious.

She ignored him, sitting up slowly and running her hands slowly up his chest. Loki's eyes fell from hers to things lower, and he swallowed hard.

''Agent Romanoff-'' he started, but she twisted her hand in his hair and his words fell short.

A growl escaped his throat the next moment, and he pushed her back down and into the bed. She moaned from the feel of his weight on her, and he hissed against her lips. Her hands shoved his jacket back and he let her, and the leather made a soft thud as it fell to the floor beside the bed.

Loki pressed his lips to her neck as she started pulling at his clothes. Her hands grew more and more reckless as she failed to unfasten the complicated bindings, and Loki chuckled as they disappeared beneath her hands. He heard her breath catch in her throat, and his lips moved to her ear.

''I do not think this is what my father had in mind when he said to rest,'' he said lowly.

''Are you complaining?'' she breathed, pulling him closer, her hands fumbling and desperate.

His responding moan sounded like a growl. ''Easy, my dear,'' he warned her. He gently tangled a hand in her hair, and the other cupped her shoulder blade as he pressed himself inside of her.

Her moan resembled a whimper, and his mouth found hers to silence her. He pulled out of her gently, almost completely before pressing in again. He continued the process, his body moving slowly and carefully above hers.

Natasha's body tensed in protest, and Loki pulled back from her, hesitant to continue. He looked down to one of the wounds on her waist, and saw blood blossoming on the white bandage.

He started to pull away completely, but Natasha caught his wrist. ''Loki-''

''You are wounded,'' he repeated.

She growled in frustration. ''I don't care.''

''I will gladly continue this when you are healed,'' Loki pacified.

''You owe me,'' she protested.

At first Loki was angry at the words, but it was amusement that rode his lips when he spoke. ''I will be eternally grateful for what you did for me,'' he stated calmly, a smile twitching at his lips. ''But do you plan to hold it over me forever?''

She was silent for a long moment, her frustration forgotten. A fire suddenly lit behind her eyes, and it sent a tremor of anticipation through Loki's body.

''If you're lucky,'' she said lowly.

Her arrogance surprised him, and his anger sparked again. ''You mewling-'' his insult caught in his throat, suddenly aware of what she was doing. She narrowed her eyes at him, a challenge, knowing he'd caught on to her manipulation. She'd baited him, and he'd fallen easily for the trick.

She wanted him angry, and it had worked.

His eyes narrowed as he gazed down at her, and ignoring the satisfied smile that played on her lips, he forced her back down onto the bed.

* * *

Author's Note: Don't worry, that scene will be continued in the next chapter. I hope you enjoyed! Please review!


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I do not own anything pertaining to The Avengers or any of its associations.

* * *

Loki was rough. Rougher than usual, and he ignored her protests in being so. But it's what she wanted, and the feeling of him close chased the pain away. He towered over her, his lithe body rippling as he moved above her.

Natasha reached up and twisted her hand roughly in his hair, trying to pull his face down to hers. He hissed and thrust into her violently, and he caught her cry with his lips. His next thrust was gentle as he pressed his mouth to hers, bruising as he slipped his silver tongue into her mouth. He set the rhythm of his hips to the rhythm of his tongue, and she felt pressure building deep inside of her.

His lips fell away when they both came, his moan cold against her ear and hers hot against his cheek.

Loki rested on his arms above her until the sheen of sweat on her body cooled and the rise and fall of her chest evened. His eyes held hers softly, until the fire in them calmed and died.

He shifted slightly, putting his weight onto his knees, and his hands ghosted down her body as he inspected her injuries. For what they had done her wounds had fared well, only two splitting open and bleeding. He placed feather kisses down her body and over each of the wounds, before giving her a chaste kiss on the lips and rolling to the side.

She followed him, her small body fitting on top of his, her cheek resting on the planes of his chest. He entwined his fingers in her hair and cupped her neck, and his other hand smoothed over her waist.

''What happens now?'' she asked him suddenly.

Loki's heart skipped a beat, and he knew she felt it because she twisted her head up to look at him. She rested her chin on his sternum, her expression blank and guarded.

''I do not know,'' he said honestly.

It was a conversation they had to have. It was easy to avoid, with the threat of Thanos looming, but when all was over it weighed heavy on their shoulders.

''I would not ask of you to stay,'' Loki said, his lips pressing into a hard line. His expression was guarded as well, but she saw the sadness in his eyes.

''I still have red in my ledger,'' she added. ''Being with the Avengers... In time it will clear it.''

Loki's jaw tensed slightly. ''I will not leave Asgard. I will not leave my family.''

''I know,'' she said, her voice a whisper.

''Thor is here. When the Avengers call, you could go with him,'' Loki suggested.

Natasha narrowed her eyes at him. ''I thought you said you wouldn't ask me to stay.''

''I did not ask,'' he said, his tone teasing despite the seriousness of the conversation. ''I merely suggested it.''

''Very tricky,'' Natasha commented, and though her face was blank he could see the gears shifting in her head as she processed the option.

''Would you expect any less from me?'' he asked her. She did not respond, her eyes falling from his as she delved deeper into her own thoughts.

Loki tightened his grasp on her and lifted her further up on his body, so that her face was hoovering above his. He closed his eyes and pressed her mouth down onto his, and her eyes lingered closed for a long moment after it was over. When they opened again, they were glazed with tears.

She opened her mouth to speak, but he kept the words trapped behind his lips, knowing their fate were she to speak them. He twisted them over on the sheets, until he was above her again. ''This offer does not expire, Agent Romanoff. You need not answer me now,'' he said lowly.

She nodded slowly, and the slightest flicker of relief graced her expression. He sighed his own relief against her mouth. He fell gracefully to the side, and pulled her in to his chest, her head resting on his extended arm. She buried her face against the soft, cold flesh of his torso and closed her eyes.

Their heartbeats synchronized as they fell asleep in each others arms.

* * *

Odin returned early the next morning, and Loki followed Natasha back to Midgard to help with reparations. They were long months, and though they both were happy to have the time together, the expiration date made them both bitter.

On the final night, when the mayor was to hold a grand party in Central Park in honor of the Avengers and the completion of the reparations, the bitterness that had always been so close to the edge finally spilled over. Loki was to attend the party with Natasha and leave for Asgard the next day.

The door to Natasha's bathroom slammed open as she spilled out into the bedroom, a towel wrapped around her body and her red hair dripping. Loki was right behind her, a towel around his waist, and he slammed the door shut behind them so hard that the wall shook.

Natasha did not even flinch, keeping her back to him and abandoning the towel, the tension in her actions as she dressed betraying her anger.

''Natasha,'' Loki said calmly through gritted teeth, trying to keep his own anger in check. She did not look to him, just slipped her dress on over her underclothes and zipped up the back sharply. ''Natasha!'' he snarled, and her surprise at the volume of the words made her hands hesitate as she fastened the clasp of her necklace. But still she did not look at him.

''Look at me!'' he yelled at her, and she turned in surprise, her heart in her throat.

''Keep your voice down,'' she said lowly, her expression dead of emotion. ''We don't need the others to come and stick their noses in our business because you can't keep your temper in check.''

She turned away again, and Loki's jaw tightened in irritation. A projection appeared in front of Natasha the next moment, and she swallowed a cry of surprise before swinging her arm violently through it. It turned to smoke under her hand, her intention, and she turned to face him in the flesh.

''Are you not man enough to get my attention without resorting to your tricks?'' she demanded.

''You have pushed me to such limits,'' he replied lowly.

They stood there in silence for a few long moment, a stalemate of sorts, and finally Natasha broke and sat down on the bed with an exasperated sigh. She put her elbows on her knees and her face in her hands.

Loki knelt down on the floor before her, and ghosted his hands over her thighs. Slowly she looked up at him, and his eyes were waiting for her. ''I know we have had this conversation a thousand times over,'' he said to her, his expression apologetic. ''I know you are angry for my persistence.''

''We are both so stubborn,'' she said. ''I don't understand why you insist on bringing it up when it always ends this way.''

''What do you not understand?'' he demanded of her, his anger sparking again. ''The hope of you changing your answer is the only thing that has kept us together these past few months. The anger and the bitterness and the resentment is worth that small chance that your mind will change.''

''My mind will change, Loki,'' she said, her eyes welling slightly. ''But the time is not right yet. You said the offer would not expire.''

Loki sighed, his anger dying down again. He took her hands and pulled her to himself, so that her knees fell softly to the ground on either side of his and she straddled his waist. His hand smoothed down her waist to her sharp hips, and his fingers played with the fabric of her dress that gathered there due to the position.

''The offer does not expire,'' he said sadly, and his eyelids hooded slightly as he gazed at her. ''But the thought of even a day without you haunts my dreams at night.''

He chuckled slightly, though it was without humor. ''It wounds me that a mortal woman could make me feel so emasculate, but the chance that this truth will make even the smallest impression in your resolve is worth the loss of my pride.''

Natasha looked away as the tears spilled over and fell down her cheeks. Loki caught her chin and turned her face back to his, and her eyes were wide and vulnerable.

''You make me feel like a child,'' she said, and the words made Loki's heart skip in his chest. Love is for children, she had once said to him.

''Is this love, Natasha?'' he asked her carefully.

She did not answer him, but her silence was answer enough.

He brought her face down to his and kissed her chastely. When she moved away a few long moments later, Loki's eyes were wet with his own tears. The sight of his tears was evidence of his response to her love, and she kissed him again with intention.

Loki's eyebrows raised, but he responded instantly. Natasha's fingers moved the towel covering Loki's waist aside, and he made slow progress of sheathing himself inside of her.

She moved above him slowly, their soft gasps of pleasure the only sound breaking through the silence of the room. Loki's hands ghosted on her back and her waist, his lips a soft presence against her neck and chest.

The feel of her on top of himself and the remnants of the emotions from the fight that night and the others nights made him come quickly, and her with him. With a final chaste kiss Natasha retreated into the bathroom again to clean herself up, and Loki used his magic to dress.

Natasha emerged a few minutes later with her makeup done and her hair dry and perfectly curled. She gasped when she saw Loki, adorned in the same evening wear he had worn in Germany during his infamous first visit to Midgard.

''You look lovely,'' he said, his eyes flickering down her body. The dress had not changed, but he had not appreciated it through his anger before.

''As do you,'' she said, her words true but her tone slightly locking. Loki made a face at her and she laughed, and his displeasure was replaced almost immediately with a smile. She approached him and fingered the green scarf around his neck.

He leaned down and pressed just the softest kiss to her lips, careful not to smear the deep red lipstick. He offered her arm a moment later, and she took it without hesitation.

* * *

The others were waiting in the living room. Only Clint made a remark about their fight, though she was sure the others had heard it as well.

They went together to the party, and the night passed quickly. It seemed all too soon that Natasha and Loki were saying goodbyes the next morning on the roof of the Avengers tower.

There were no words spoken, and few tears shed. Their parting was bitter, but they would see each other again. Loki pressed one last kiss to Natasha's lips, and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. His fingers lingered as he moved away from her, but when they fell away he did not look back.

Natasha stood alone on the roof looking at her empty hands. As she stared at them, her breath slowly began to accelerate, and the reality of what had just happened made her heart heavy in her chest.

''Loki,'' she breathed, and her eyes widened as she realized her mistake. ''Come back, Loki. I change my mind,'' she said, blinking the tears from her eyes as they poured down her cheeks.

She had thought herself empty, after her parents had died and her time in the Red Room. After the things she had done and the things they had made her do, how could she not be? But standing there now, she knew she had been wrong.

It was a strange feeling, to know true emptiness.

She pressed her hands to her chest as her breathing accelerated even further. Her head started to spin from the assault of oxygen, and her heart raced beneath her fingers.

''I am here, Natasha.''

His cold hands smoothed over her from behind, and he pulled her back tightly to his chest. She sobbed into the open air, and Loki dipped his face down to press against the skin of her neck, his cheeks wet from the sound of her cries.

It was a long while before she calmed, and his grip on her did not relent. ''How...?'' she asked finally, her voice weary and weak. ''How did you know not to leave for Asgard? That I would change my mind?''

''You claimed once to know me better than I know myself,'' Loki said into her hair. ''I would make that same claim now.''

Natasha struggled against his grip, and he loosened his arms to accommodate her. She spun around and smacked him in the chest, her eyes burning with anger. ''Damn you!'' she growled, and he caught her hands against his chest.

''You are angry with me for tricking you?'' he asked her, his voice incredulous.

Natasha's anger drained slowly from her face, replaced instead with amusement at the irony. She laughed past her tears, and Loki kissed them from her cheeks, a smile playing at his lips.

''I am going to leave now,'' Loki said, his fingers lightly tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear and his face gone serious. ''Are you coming with me?''

Natasha looked up at Loki, and a flourish of memories crossed her mind.

Of this man that had come to Earth to make her kneel at his forsaken feet. Of this man that had sewn words into her mind that haunted her for years after. Of this man that sought his revenge on the Avengers for his failures. Of this man that fell in love with her and saved both of their worlds.

She smiled softly, and her fingers reached up to trace the sharp of angles of his face. His eyes closed slightly under her touch, and when his eyelids opened again to reveal the beautiful emerald orbs beneath, she gave him her answer.

''Yes.''

* * *

Author's Note: This was the last chapter. I hope you enjoyed my story, and that you will look forward to reading any other stories I may write in the future. Please review.


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I do not own anything pertaining to The Avengers or any of its associations.

* * *

I was going to take some time before starting a new story, not for a break but for lack of an idea. I spent the last few days not only writing the final chapter for Red Hands, but watching every video that I could get my hands on with Tom Hiddleston.

It was with my latest find that I got inspiration for a new story, the treasure being Return to Cranford. There were several plots going on throughout the movie, but I found the plot surrounding William (Tom Hiddleston) the most captivating. It gave me a vague idea to work with, and the story spawned from there.

It will be called ''How It Ends'', but instead of following the course of events through the Avengers movie, it will be an alternate universe stemming from the beginning of Thor. I've never written a story that strays so far from the original line of events, but I love the challenge of it.

Please look forward to the start of this new story. I have already finished the first chapter, and I will be putting it up tomorrow. It would be an honor to have you all follow this new progression, and support it as you have Red Hands and Love Like Winter.


End file.
